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There’s Money in those Bottles: Drive Restaurant Profits with a Profitable Bar

Aug 17, 2014
Wall of tequila at Que Pasa Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar
Wall of tequila at Que Pasa Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar

By Jeffrey Manno

It seems like every week presents another obstacle for restaurateurs in order to make a profit. This year alone, the industry has been confronted with a rising minimum wage, increasing costs of food, and a rapid climb in rent prices, all of which cut deeply into an already slim profit margin. Despite all of these challenges, smart operators continue to not only profit, but to grow. One key way of achieving such success is by developing a highly appealing, profitable beverage program that doesn’t just compliment the food, but creates a destination.

 

So how can we create such a highly valuable beverage program? Beverage expert, David Flaherty, points out Five Elements to a Profitable Beverage Program:

 

1. Great Team:

Your team must have keen abilities, a thorough education, and an abundance of passion. Not only does your staff need to make the drinks, but they must share a passion for it to intelligently sell the drinks and enhance the guest experience.

2. Balance:

With the increasing challenge to maintain and grow the bottom line, the last thing a restaurateur wants to do is tie up loads of cash in an extensive beverage selection that won’t sell. Instead, one should strive to create an enticing array of beverage offerings that not only create appeal, but also fly off the shelves and drive profits. To avoid costly mistakes and achieve this unique balance, consult a skilled beverage professional.

3. Moving Target:

In the highly competitive world of restaurants, the old adage is true, “if you are not moving forward, you are falling behind.” Keep your beverage program exciting, fresh and always appealing to guests and employees alike. Regularly tweak your menu with seasonal offerings, beverage pairing dinners, and a rotating selection of favorites.

4. Systems:

Let’s do some simple math. If your team over pours Beverage Y 30 times/day at an over-pour cost of $0.50/pour, how much are you losing annually if you are open every day? That’s right, approximately $5475 per year! Assuming the pattern holds true for all of your beverages, the amount of lost profit can be staggering to an operator. As Flaherty points out, implementing some rather simple, yet attentive systems of inventory control and operations management can result in substantial improvements to your bottom line.

5. Competition:

As former fashion mogul Gianni Versace once said, “It is nice to have valid competition; it pushes you to do better.” However don’t just watch and study your competition like it’s your enemy, but rather befriend your competition and learn from each other. You may even collaborate together to create the next great trend.

 

It is not easy to make a profit in the restaurant industry, and it is not getting any easier. However, through intelligent planning, a passionate team and effective operations, a restaurateur can develop a beverage program that drives profits and increases appeal of the venue.

 

If you are looking for ways to increase your restaurant profits and enhance your beverage experience, give Synergy a call. We are always here to help you and your team to learn and grow your bar, your business and your profits.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

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Trend Alert: Housemade Soda

Aug 10, 2014
Rhubarb basil soda and cucumber lime sea salt soda. From Brooklyn Soda Works. | Photo Credit Jennifer 8. Lee License CC BY 2.0
Rhubarb basil soda and cucumber lime sea salt soda. From Brooklyn Soda Works. | Photo Credit Jennifer 8. Lee License CC BY 2.0

 

Housemade sodas have been popping up at restaurants across the country and the trend is not fading out anytime soon. Our consultants at Synergy are big fans of this trend because it helps increase check averages and provides a fun, artisanal drink option for diners. As diners become more health conscious and traditional soda sales plummet, we’re learning of another great benefit to housemade drinks. According to Technomic, 87% of diners associate ‘fresh’ with ‘healthy.’ This means that consumers perceive that artisanal drinks made in-house with fresh ingredients provide good-for-you health benefits.

 

While many restaurants are aware the popularity of housemade sodas, two Chicago restaurants have especially capitalized on the trend. Mercadito in Chicago offers their signature Refrescos, a combination of fresh fruit juice with fruit-flavored soda water, at $6 a glass and has sold over 2,700 this year!   At sister restaurant Tavernita, diners are thrilled to find an entire section of the menu dedicated to housemade sodas. With flavors such as orange, white grape, and ginger chile ale, the menu also suggests pairing the soda with a favorite spirit. Tavernita’s sodas have accounted for nearly 14% of beverage sales this year.

 

While traditional soda sales are down across the country, consider adding fresh, housemade sodas to your menu to give beverage sales a boost.

 

Here are five fun flavor ideas for housemade sodas:

– Caramelized Pineapple
– Grapefruit
– Cucumber Mint Lime
– Orange Vanilla Cream
– Ginger Lemonade

You can read more about this trend here.

Please contact Synergy for help with menu innovation.

 

 

 

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What Kind of Wino Are You Catering to?

Jul 31, 2014

By Jeff Manno

Photo Credit: Flickr User Emiliano De Laurentii CC by 2.0
Photo Credit: Flickr User Emiliano De Laurentii CC by 2.0

The United States is the single largest wine market in the world and, unlike France and Italy, consumption is on the rise. However, the normal wine consumer in the US is hard to understand. Why? In large part, because there is no typical US wine consumer, but rather the market is segmented into six different types of wine consumers.

 

Constellation Brands, a global wine, beer and spirits producer and marketer studied 4000 people who drank wine at least once every three months, and found “that some wine drinkers want adventure, some use wine as a status symbol, some want wine that is inexpensive and easy to drink, and others find the world of wine confusing and intimidating.”

 

Based upon Constellation’s findings, the US wine drinker can be one of the following:

• Overwhelmed: 90% of wine drinkers do not like to shop for wine and find the experience complex, reports Constellation Brands.

• The Price Driven Consumer: 21% of American wine drinkers consider price their top consideration when buying. These same people also drink a lot of wine; wine makes up 38% of their total alcoholic beverage consumption.

Everyday Loyals: 20% of American wine drinkers, with a predominantly female skew, drink wine daily. According to the report, “they tend to be brand loyal, sticking to wines they like, and are not particularly interested in trying something new.”

Image Seekers: 18% of American winos, want to “seem like they’re in the know, and like to drink trendy brands with cool labels,” and they also have “a repertoire of well-known brands that they have in their back pocket.”

Engaged Newcomers: 12% of consumers, “these young consumers see wine as a big part of their social lives and want to learn more about it.” They are also likely to buy organic or biodynamic wines, and want to hear the stories of the winemaker.

Enthusiasts: The true wine lovers who “love talking about it, reading reviews about it, shopping for it and sharing it. They join wine clubs, too.”

 

With this valuable insight from Constellation Brands, restaurateurs need to take a serious look at how they will appeal to today’s American wine drinker. To stay competitive and drive sales in this complex wine consumer market, management needs to clearly segment, target and position their wine program to attract their ideal wine drinkers.

 

If you would like help in marketing your venue to today’s American Wine Drinker, Synergy has 25 years of proven consulting success, and is here to help. Contact us today.

 

To learn more about Constellation Brands Report, the full article is here.

 

 

 

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Elevate the Dessert Experience with Beverage Pairings

Jul 28, 2014
Photo: Flickr User Didriks License CC by 2.0
Photo: Flickr User Didriks License CC by 2.0

 

So what goes well with a warm and fresh chocolate chip cookie? The almost universal answer would be “milk,” would it not? Of course it is! While many restaurant owners are focusing on pairing wines with entrees or appetizers, why not do the same for the dessert menu? We already know that practically nothing goes better with cookies than milk, so let’s take this concept even further in order to elevate the best course of the meal.

This recent NRN article illustrates the ingenious ways that chefs are pairing some unlikely drinks with delectable desserts. Notable pairings were Strawberry Shortcake with house-made Kumquatcello and a Bourbon Bread Pudding and Green Flash’s Double Stout from Easy Bistro and Bar in Chattanooga, Tenn.

We did our own research and found these smart dessert and drink pairings:

So get creative with your dessert menu and have your guests looking forward to the sweetest course of the night!

 

 

 

 

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Room Service Vs. Takeout: Who Wins?

Jul 27, 2014

Hotels accommodate their guests in almost every way, from laundry service to room service. But you may be surprised to learn that room service is actually waning in popularity, according to a recent study from Chicaco-based online food ordering service GrubHub. So if guests aren’t ordering as much room service, then what are they eating? GrubHub analyzed orders delivered to 8,000 hotels across the U.S. and found that takeout orders to hotels increased 125% in the last three years.

 

Other interesting findings:

– On average, hotel diners spend about 11% more per order than non-hotel diners.
– Men are about 54% more likely than women to order meals to hotels.
– Hotel takeout orders peak early in the work week, with fewer orders from Friday through Sunday.
– Dinner and late night are the most popular meal times for travelers. Nearly three-fourths (72%) of hotel orders are placed during dinner and late-night hours.

 

Read the entire press release here.

How does this news affect restaurants? It is clear how important it is to have a local component to your brand as guests continually choose local restaurants for their meals over room service. A couple of ways to do so include ensuring your restaurant is listed online, whether in a Yelp or Urbanspoon page, or a food ordering service site. Don’t forget to add your restaurant to major search engines’ local listing services such as Google My Business. And while this may be a no-brainer, it’s of utmost importance to offer a delivery option! For more help with increasing your restaurants’ local brand presence, please reach out to Synergy.

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July 2014 Newsletter

Jul 22, 2014

 

Greetings!

A quick glance at our Facebook page will give you just a hint of the exciting projects we’ve been working on here at Synergy: contemporary deli discoveries, artisanal bakeries, rebranding initiatives, beverage upgrades, a quick trip to New York City for the opening of the newest LYFE Kitchen. It’s been a great year-and this is only July!

In this month’s newsletter we delve a little more deeply into these subjects and more. There’s an article on how traditional delis are being rebooted for the Millennial age, with on-trend attributes like local sourcing, craft beer menus and quality-oriented ingredients.

We weigh in on the often-thorny subject of sustainable seafood, and offer a few resources to help you stay abreast of the complexities. And we also revisit the fast-evolving gluten-free menu trend, and what the FDA’s recent definition means to you-frankly, we can’t even believe that some people are still questioning whether offering gluten-free items represents an imperative that’s here to stay. It is, trust us.

To your success, Dean Small and Danny Bendas


Thoroughly Modern Delis

By Joan Lang

 

One by one, the old icons are falling, thanks to the premium casual trend. It’s been applied to hamburgers, to cocktails, to Mexican QSR: Take a familiar concept, one with a degree of built-in familiarity and consumer acceptance, and differentiate it—around the ingredients, the menu, the presentation, the service model. Make it unique and craveable, make it stand out from the competition with a quality proposition.

Hamburgers became better burgers, with righteous grass-fed beef and artisanal buns. Cocktails became craft cocktails, with mutton-chopped mixologists and drink-specific ice. And Mexican QSR became, well, Chipotle.

It’s not surprising that the appetite for housemade smoked and cured meats, gourmet pickles and better bread—not to mention the ongoing obsession with handcrafted sandwiches—would lead to a reinterpretation of the classic sandwich emporium: the deli.

And sometimes it’s being done by entrepreneurial restaurateurs who may be too young to have experienced the flavors and conviviality of a classic Jewish deli in a really authentic way, like the original Pastrami King or Wolfie’s Rascal House. But they still want what she’s having in the way of a mind-blowing deli sandwich.

This time around, though, all the elements have been elevated into the eco/artisan/sustainable stratosphere, along with the necessary postmodern trappings like cocktails, craft beer, hip service and stylish surroundings.
During a recent Discovery Trip to New York City, we experienced not only the classic Katz’s Deli but also some of the new-wave deli concepts that are changing the paradigm, such as Mile End. And we came away with some key learnings about how the modern-day deli works.

Aroma and freshness cues are huge: Smelling the smoked meat has a powerful impact from the moment the guest walks through the door. Watching the meats being carved (as at Katz’s) is crucial to communicating the product’s quality. But getting younger, Gen X diners into a deli environment requires an expanded menu, while at the same time keeping a focus on the authentic classics, which helps guests take the concept seriously.

Inspired by the smoked-meat tradition of the Mile End neighborhood in Montreal, New York City’s Mile End Deli is an elder statesman in the new-wave deli trend. Now with two locations and an immensely successful catering business, Mile End is an homage to the Jewish delicatessen via a big helping of the peculiarly Canadian style of kosher-style deli meat, made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices. It differs from the more familiar pastrami in the use of flavorings like coriander and the fact that it uses significantly less sugar. Seating is famously tight, consisting mainly of stools at window counters (helping to ignite another mini-trend among the competition). Starting small, Mile End has become a specialty food phenomenon, producing a wide variety of cured and smoked meats and fish, pickled goods, and freshly baked bagels, breads, rolls, and pastries. The crave-worthy menu also features one of Canada’s other national foods: poutine.

Another entry in the deli parade is Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, in San Francisco. The menu has all the usual Yiddish soul food suspects (matzo brei, noodle kugel, chopped liver), but the pastrami is smoked in house and brined for seven days, the hand-rolled bagels are from locally prized Beauty’s, and the chocolate babka uses an owner’s grandmother’s recipe—and the whole thing started with a pop-up. Décor is as expected, with baked goods on display, soft-focus portraits of family elders on the walls, and old-fashioned signage, but there’s also a Smoked Trumpet Mushroom Reuben sandwich with sauerkraut, Swiss and Russian dressing on rye. With three locations, including one in the Contemporary Jewish Museum and another in Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market, Wise Sons looks like a game changer

Touting artisan-made deli fare (“We cure, pickle & smoke quality meats & fishes according to the highest standards & oldest traditions”), three-location Kenny & Zuke’s in Portland, OR, uses locally raised beef, sells a shareable platter of house- made pickles, and bakes all is own rugelach, hamantaschen and macaroons. The bright, yellow-and-white striped menu is old-school though, featuring noodle kugel, pastrami on rye, cheese blintzes, and lots of pancake-style eggs. There’s also cheerful takeout (which helps to offset the long lines for a table), catering and mail-order.

Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions, in Waltham, MA, plays a bit fast and loose with the traditional deli menu, but it errs on the side of artisanal with a selection of carefully sourced New England cheeses and charcuterie; Cuban, pulled pork and banh mi sandwiches; and housemade truffle chips—in addition to the more predictable bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon, and Katz (pastrami with pickle mustard) and bologna sandwiches.

Then there’s the growing number of places that take a totally freewheeling approach to deli standards like smoked/cured meats and pickles. Case in point is Plan Check Kitchen + Bar, with a trio of locations in L.A. and a frequently changing menu that runs the gamut from the Pastrami Nosh sandwich (“double smoked pastrami, melty Swiss cheese, kimchi mustard, pickles and a sunny fried egg”) to fries cooked in schmaltz (chicken fat). Cheffy touches like ketchup leather on the burger and housemade duck ham leave no doubt as to the creativity of the kitchen, although blackboard menus and reasonable prices adhere to the spirit of the neighborhood deli.

And then there’s the Reuben, the crossover sandwich star that sums up the longing for authenticity and flavor that defines the new deli trend—it’s showing up absolutely everywhere there are great sandwiches. Make no mistake that Delta Bistro, in Greenwood, MS, is a Southern restaurant, but its Comeback Reuben (which uses traditional Mississippi-style “comeback sauce” instead of Russian dressing) has a foot neatly planted in both cultures.


 


Sustainable Seafood: Do Your Homework

By Joan Lang

Of all the sourcing and purchasing challenges that foodservice operators face, sustainable seafood may be the most complex—especially now that more restaurants are calling out wild or sustainable fish and shellfish as they would organic produce or natural chicken.

But seafood isn’t like tomatoes and chicken, with their relatively low price and almost infinite availability.
With fish and shellfish, the challenge lies in both the supply and the definition of sustainability. Many wild fisheries are being depleted faster than Mother Nature can restore them. A 2012 United Nations report found that almost 30% of the world’s wild fisheries are “overexploited,” and more than 57% are “at or very close” to the limit; this includes such popular species as Atlantic cod, Chilean sea bass and Bluefin tuna.

Once heralded as the answer to the growing world demand for seafood, aquaculture has also proven to be problematic, because of escapement, pollution, environmental damage and questions about the feed used in fish farming. For instance, it takes nearly three pounds of wild-caught feed, in the form of fishmeal and fish oil from such species as anchovies and mackerel, to produce one pound of marketable farmed salmon—one of the most popular aquacultured species. And many of the “native” species Americans consume are actually imported from other countries.

Climate change adds yet another level of complexity, and even politicization, but certainly global warming will further impact fisheries.

At the same time, many restaurant operators want to add more seafood to the menu, both for health reasons and to offer their guests more variety.

Various organizations have attempted to provide guidelines for consumers, retailers, customers, and chefs, including SeafoodWatch and Seafood Choices Alliance. But such a complex issue is not easy to simplify, and even the watchers have come in for controversy. The Marine Stewardship Council, for one, has been widely criticized for certifying fisheries that are not actually sustainable in order to answer demand for sustainable choices from retailers such as Whole Foods and WalMart.

Chefs and restaurateurs, for their part, have been very proactive to very positive effect, as shown by the Give Swordfish a Break campaign, way back in 1998. High-profile chefs like Rick Moonen and Barton Seaver have led the way as activists and educators. The Chefs Collaborative has published “Seafood Solutions: A Chef’s Guide to Sourcing Sustainable Seafood,” while programs like Hook-to- Cook routinely raise awareness.

At a time when many consumers still clamor for familiar salmon, swordfish and cod, restaurants can lead the foray into such underutilized species as whiting, mackerel, sardines and bluefish. They can purchase and use bycatch (non-target species which would be otherwise be thrown away), like the Louisiana flounder often caught in shrimpers’ nets. They can proudly menu “trash fish,” like skate and rockfish. And they can help promote traceability and educate guests about responsibly sourced seafood.

All of this takes commitment, and more than a little homework. Menu flexibility and good relationships with purveyors are also important. But there is ample evidence that an increasingly sophistihttp://www.gmri.org/community/display.asp?a=5&b=25&c=192cated customer base demands not only good food, but food they can feel good about.


The Gluten-Free Mandate

By Karen N. Knoblaugh, MS, RD, Food Allergy Consultants

On August 13, 2013, the FDA finally caught up with Europe by providing a definition for “gluten-free,” which introduced a much-needed guide for food producers. It also provoked a sigh of relief for millions of consumers who require gluten-free foods.

This new guideline requires that any food identified as being gluten-free must contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. Food manufacturers have until August 2014 to comply with these new mandates, or else they can be considered to be misbranding if they continue to use terms related to gluten-free (“free of gluten,” “no gluten,” or “gluten free”).

Currently there are no FDA regulations for foodservice establishments with regard to providing gluten-free foods; requirements are only applied to labeled foods. It has been up to the customer to ask the questions and make their own determination if the restaurant, café or bakery has the capability and qualified staff to provide them with a safe meal. With this new regulation comes an increased expectation for those in the foodservice business to also be compliant with these FDA guidelines.

Note that currently, this is not a requirement but simply an expectation; however, the foodservice provider should be able to detail all procedures and precautions in place related to the preparation and service of gluten-free foods. Additionally, any inspections after August 2014 will most likely review your gluten-free protocols if the claim is being made. How they will actually test for or determine if a food is at or below the 20 ppm is still a big question, so most likely they will look for the absence of all gluten-containing ingredients in the preparation of those foods.

So what does this mean for you? The first thing is that if you are using or intend to use the gluten-free moniker, you must be much more vigilant in your preparation of those foods. Hopefully, you have already been doing this, but it may require a bit more attention on your part moving forward.

It may also mean that you have to go back to your supply chain and make sure that any ingredients being used to make the gluten-free items really are gluten-free. Documentation on such ingredients should be maintained and updated as needed. You may also have to modify your prep or service protocols (separate cutting boards, utensils, fryers, and cooking surfaces, as well as communication plans, etc.) and increase training for your entire staff to ensure proper care is given to your gluten-free customers.

Offering gluten-free menu items has become an important piece of the foodservice industry. Being able to provide safe gluten-free items has become a customer expectation more than ever before. If this is something that your establishment is considering but you would like assistance with implementation, Synergy Restaurant Consultants has qualified consultants that are ready to help.


Tip of the Month

Looking for more information on sustainable seafood? Check out SeafoodWatch, NOAA’s FishWatch, SeaWeb, and the Sustainable Seafood portal for National Geographic.

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Could These Be the Best Sandwiches in America?

Jul 20, 2014

Who would have thought that heaven existed between two slices of bread? If you’re like us, then you might have a small obsession with  sandwiches. Whether a panini, burger, or roll, we love them all. Of course, a great sandwich takes considerable thought and finesse in ingredient selection and execution.

 

Restaurant Hospitality, a formidable source for providing hospitality trends and happenings, had recently announced the winners of the Best Sandwiches in America Contest, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled to see the results. The finalists are broken down into 18 categories –  grilled cheese, barbecue, breakfast, vegetarian, hot dog/sausage, seafood salad, burger, etc. and consisted of some interesting creations! Category finalists included an inverted grilled cheese, a three-pork sandwich, a Cajun grouper sandwich, a breakfast-styled banh mi and a Southern fried Jidori chicken sandwich .

 

Want to check out who else made the cut? Read more and get inspired here: http://restaurant-hospitality.com/food-trends/best-sandwiches-america-meet-2014-winners

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Avoid Penalties from Common I-9 Errors

Jul 19, 2014

Operating a restaurant involves dealing with customers and employees. As you work on satisfying your clientele and bringing in new customers, it’s important to never overlook the administrative legal duties when it comes to employment. Substantial fines and penalties can arise from employers improperly handling and managing the I-9, the form which verifies an individual is eligible to work in the United States.

 

Unfortunately, many restaurateurs fail to properly comply with the rules for the I-9 as outlined by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Luckily, there are common mistakes that can be easily prevented so that you’re prepared if your restaurant is audited!

– Unsure on Who is Supposed to Complete an I-9 Form?: Any employee hired (working for pay or compensation) on or after Nov. 6, 1986 must complete the I-9. This applies to those in the United States.

– Improper Storing of I-9 Forms for Terminated Employees: The rules state that the employer must store a terminated employee’s I-9 form for up to three years or one year after they are terminated, whichever is the later date.

– Employer and/or Employee Do Not Complete Sections on Time: An employee must complete Section 1 of the I-9 form no later than the first day of work for pay. The employer must complete Section 2 no later than the third business day that the employee starts work for pay.

 

Read more here: 7 common I-9 errors and how to avoid them and if you need help with compliance and any other HR, hiring or recruiting practices, contact Synergy.

 

 

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Burgers: To Grill or not to Grill?

Jul 10, 2014

Grilling season is in full swing! So, the million dollar question is: what’s the key to cooking a great hamburger?  Back away from the grill. Interestingly, many of the nation’s best chefs and hamburger purveyors (Shake Shack, Five Guys, Smashburger) suggest cooking burgers in heavy cast-iron pans or on flat-top griddles. This allows the rendering beef fat to surround the patty as it cooks, similar to the confit technique.  If you must use the grill, heat the pan on top of the fire but don’t put the meat on the grill itself.

As for the kind of meat? Go for an 80/20 ground chuck steak blend for best results! By the way, unlike cooking a steak, you don’t want to have your burger meat sitting out at room temperature before hitting the pan– you need to cook it cold.

Get prepared for grill-outs and check out this article for more great tips: Deconstructing the Perfect Burger

 

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Urban Farming Soars Across North America

Jul 08, 2014

Urban farming is reaching new heights across North America, but these days, some folks are getting more creative. Lufa, a new rooftop greenhouse in Montreal, has over 31,000 acres of farm area and can provide enough veggies for over 9,000 people that work, shop, and live below. Why on a roof? According to Lufa’s website, having a greenhouse on the roof of a building means people have easier access to fresh foods and it’s simply a smarter use of space, given the scarcity of land.

Their farm is expected to produce more than 40 tons of fresh produce each year and its produce is sold to local consumers and restaurants. Rooftop farming makes sense in urban environments because it frees up valuable street space and makes produce truly local, as opposed to from a farm a few hours outside the city. Lufa hopes to expand to Boston sometime next year. Read more here on Modern Farmers. Also, check out their Tedx Talks presentation below: