QSR May 2022

You can stop looking for the best management candidates. We’ve already found them. Gecko focuses on recruiting top hospitality management candidates 365 days a year. The simple truth is, a higher level of focus Ř÷ĈĈ òÕĈį ŚĖŃ ťďÑ ² ò÷ìòÕlj ĈÕŗÕĈ Ėë ˲ďÑ÷ѲľÕʕ

ingredients, Tower Garden coordinates with the brand to create a customized grow plan tailored to space concerns and specific, desired, produce ranging from kale to toma toes to microgreens. Henard cites the towers’ accelerated har vest times as a safeguard for restaurants against supply chain disruptions and ingre dient shortages. Not only is produce grown on-site arguably fresher due to shorter lag times between harvest and serving, but in house, space-ef f icient grow models like Tower Gardens’ system also allow restau rants more control of what ingredients they serve, when they serve them, and howmuch those ingredients cost. Still, there are limits to what soilless growth towers can accomplish. Since these farming methods are soilless, operators and farmers are only able to produce crops that grow above the soil line. Root vegetables such as potatoes or tree crops such as apples and oranges are not well-suited to vertical, water-based farming techniques. But if a concept’s menus rely on above the-ground crops—think leafy greens, herbs, and fruiting and f lowering plants like peppers and cucumbers—these growing methods could prove worth the investment. Case in point: Balance Grille launched Balance Farms in 2019, months before the pandemic struck and supply chain disrup tions began to ripple through the industry. In spite of the challenges of the pandemic, though, Balance Grille has avoided some shortages by relying on Balance Farms for about 18 different crops. “The primary eco nomic advantage here is that you’re able to get the exact same, consistent product year round at relatively the same price, which is unheard of in the realm of produce,” Karam chandani says. Additionally, the farm helped reduce the concept’s spending on ingredients, even as food prices skyrocket, and provided an extra revenue stream. Balance Grille uses roughly 50 percent of the produce grown by Balance Farms in restaurants and sells surplus product to local consumers. With future units slated to open in new locations, Balance Grille plans to scale Balance Farms alongside its restaurant, leveraging the farm’s hardware and software, created by Balance Grille, to expand its farming operation. q

ƒĖʏ ĶľĖį ľljŚ÷ďì ľĖ ťďÑ ľòÕ lj÷ìòľ įÕĖįĈÕ Ėď your own…because we probably already have.

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Rachel Pittman is a regular contributor to Food News Media and is based in North Carolina.

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MAY 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com