Farm'r restaurant, a hyper-local eatery known for its open-space concept, farm-to-table fare and large Sunday dinner gatherings is pivoting their business operation amidst COVID-19. The restaurant has opted for a home delivery meal service as opposed to traditional takeout. Operating as a takeout restaurant presented itself as too challenging for Farm'r and the establishment also wanted to avoid high fees delivery apps tend to come with.
The new delivery and pickup service is run directly by the restaurant and is called Farm'r at Home. The initiative intends to deliver restaurant quality meals to the Toronto community. The meals come pre-cooked and packaged and are meant to be stored in the fridge and reheated for later.
Lentil and chickpea falafels, chicken broccoli casserole, ribs, grilled tuna, mac and cheese, chopped salad and ready-to-bake scones are only a few of the delicious offerings on the Farm'r menu.
Farm'r at Home is delivered by their own staff, which limits the amount of people coming into contact with the product. The delivery radius is currently within 8 km of the St. Lawrence Market but the restaurant does hope to expand the area in the future.
The food itself is made completely from scratch and the restaurant prides itself on sourcing local ingredients and supporting Ontario's many small businesses and farmers.
"It was devastating for us at first. We tried to stay open, but takeout and delivery orders dried up. After talking to everyone we could and experimenting with different ideas, we developed a whole new menu in bigger portions that can be heated at home or frozen for later," said Kyle Webster, Farm'r Co-Founder and Head Chef.
The new Farm'r at Home menu is designed for both those living alone and a couple (provided there will be leftovers), or enough for an entire meal for a family. In addition to the prepared meals, Farm'r is also offering items from small Canadian businesses, such as Pilot Coffee beans, chocolate bars from Toronto based ChocoSol and Ontario grown quinoa.
The restaurants hopes to continue to expand their online store and plans on eventually offering Ontario raised meat, cheeses and potentially even produce. Farm'r is also able to sell beer and wine from local wineries and breweries.
"As a restaurant we have access to some great products you never see at a traditional grocery store, and they're even hard to find at a specialty store. We want to get to the point where we can offer some of those amazing raw products directly to customers while supporting local businesses," added Kyle.
Orders can be made ahead of time on their website. The restaurant is currently accepting new orders for delivery and pickup on May 6 and May 8.
