Kitchen Gardens for Restaurants – Could You Grow One Too?

Many of us have a love for home-cooked food, but what about home-grown food? If you’ve ever tucked into a home-grown meal, you will understand just how special that can feel. Restaurants are recognising this love and the growing popularity of fresh locally sourced seasonal foods. As a result, more and more Kitchen gardens are popping up and it certainly doesn’t get more local than that.

What Type of Establishment Could Benefit from a Kitchen Garden?

There really are no limits when it comes to ‘farm to fork’. If you have space then any type of eatery can benefit. Already we are seeing cafes, farm shops, guest houses and even Michelin-starred restaurants embracing the Kitchen Garden.

(Source: The Dairy)

The Dairy is a modern British bistro that never fails to disappoint with its imaginative dishes. This restaurant uses their rooftop space as a Kitchen garden and even host four beehives as well growing veg and herbs. Rather than allocate just one staff member to tend to the garden, this duty is shared between all the chefs and kitchen porters. Produce is collected twice a day and includes things like courgettes, carrots, beetroots, rocket, mint, parsley etc. The Diary grows enough ingredients, that they are able to sell their home-grown produce in a deli.

(Source: The Dairy)

So is a Kitchen Garden the answer you’ve been searching for to level-up your offerings, or is just more work? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons that come with a Kitchen Garden.

The Pros

Conscious Consumer:

More and more consumers are seeking out a lifestyle that is eco-friendly and sustainable. This isn’t limited to the things they buy for their home, it typically stretches out to all their living choices. Eating out is no exception for this growing group of people. There are only benefits to be had from appealing to a new group of customers.

Cutting Costs:

It comes as no surprise that growing your own produce will save you money! You’re cutting out the middleman for a lot of fresh ingredients. You no longer need to worry about rising costs,

Competitive Edge:

Although Kitchen gardens are on the rise, they are not yet that common. It really can be a huge selling point and something that will differentiate you from the competition.

Flexibility:

Home-grown produce can support chefs in creating innovative dishes and flavours. You have the perk of being able to nip outside and choose fresh ingredients as and when you need it. This really opens the doors to creativity, allowing you to offer new and exciting menu items when you feel like it.

Sustainable:

Sustainability is hugely important if you want your establishment to stand the test of time. All businesses should be looking to take a more sustainable approach to how they run their establishment. Make it one of your company missions to adopt a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach to business, it’s a commitment that will have an impact on our global future.

The Cons

Space

You will need to sacrifice outdoor space, but it’s a sacrifice that should be worth it. Of course, you might well be limited by space and therefore unable to create a significant Kitchen garden. Instead, perhaps consider choosing a handful of key ingredients that you could grow instead. Tomatoes, green beans, strawberries etc. Perhaps, like ‘The Diary’ you could utilise other spaces beyond the typical garden, such as a rooftop.

Time

Growing a kitchen garden does, of course, require added work and time which could impact resources. However, is this time that you could afford to exchange in return for all of those benefits mentioned above? Cutting costs, sustainability a competitive edge etc. We think so!

If you love the idea of creating a Kitchen garden but worried that no-one really has the green fingers to take control of it… Fear not! Why not consider a staff day out to a local home-growing workshop? A small investment that could set the ball rolling for future success.