Locally sourced ingredients give a restaurant fresher produce, a menu with a story and a shorter supply chain. This guide covers why they are worth using, how to add them to the menu and how to tell customers about them.
Why use locally sourced ingredients
- Quality and taste. Local produce is usually harvested closer to the day it reaches your kitchen, so it keeps more of its flavour and texture.
- Local economy. Money spent with nearby farmers and producers stays in the area and supports local jobs.
- Shorter transport. Food that travels a short distance needs less refrigeration and fewer miles on the road.
Find suppliers
Start with farmers markets, food cooperatives and farm-to-table distributors. Ask what is in season, which days they deliver and what the minimum order is. Two or three reliable suppliers are enough to begin with.
Put local ingredients on the menu
Build a few dishes around what is in season rather than rewriting the whole menu. A short seasonal section is easier to change and easier to sell. Name the farm or the producer on the menu where you can.
Tell customers about it
Put your sourcing on the website, on social media and on the menu itself. Say which ingredients are local and where they come from. Customers who can see the difference are more willing to pay for it.
Keep the online menu current
Seasonal dishes change, and the online menu has to change with them. FoodMaster (formerly WooFood) is a WordPress plugin for restaurant ordering. It lets you highlight locally sourced dishes, update the menu when availability changes, and manage the orders that come in.
Start with one supplier and one seasonal dish. Add more once the delivery days and the prep work fit your kitchen.