A fast-casual concept out of London targeting health-conscious young professionals is making the leap across the pond for the first time with a planned opening in New York City.
Farmer J has 15 locations in the U.K., with another three in construction.
Now the concept is coming to New York with a scheduled opening in mid-December.
Based on its target audience, it would be easy to assume Farmer J is a “slop bowl” concept. New York has become known as slop bowl central, with myriad chains offering protein-focused customizable bowls in the style of a Chipotle, Sweetgreen or Cava.
But, in fact, Farmer J is an anti-slop-bowl concept.
It is known primarily for the Fieldtray—what most Americans might call a meat and two sides—served in a tray that physically separates the various dishes, like an old-timey cafeteria or school lunch tray.
A Farmer J Fieldtray. | Photo courtesy of Farmer J.
“I’m sick of the slop bowl,” said founder and CEO Jonathan Recanati, who launched Farmer J with his wife Ali in 2014. “That’s not to say they were not good. But I feel like I want people to remember what they ate.”
The menu is Mediterranean inflected (Recanati is originally from Israel), but reflects cuisines from all over the world, and will change seasonally four to six times a year.
A Fieldtray might include a grilled Chicken Amba over freekeh, for example, with sides like mac and cheese, or a chickpea and tahini salad.
“You don’t have to put a bunch of five sauces on it,” he said. “It’s fine to have on its own.”
There will be a small selection of bowls on the menu, for those who want to pile things together. But those bowls will have ingredients designed to actually go together, like salmon with miso slaw, avocado, pickles and a sesame sprinkle.
But the main event is the Fieldtray, which guests can build like at a Chipotle, walking the line, with grilled meat or fish, starch and vegetables. A Fieldtray will be priced around $15 to $16.
The first U.S. location will be in about 2,700-square feet with an open kitchen, so guests can see the scratch cooking. To start, it will be open for lunch and dinner, but will later add breakfast.
“There’s no BS. You come in, you see what you get,” said Recanati. “You see people roasting, grilling, chopping, mixing. There’s a lot of hustle and bustle.”
Recanati declined to disclose sales at the Farmer J units in London. But the company has raised roughly $23 million from investors for the expansion.
He’s reluctant to speculate how many Farmer J units might come to the U.S. Right now he’s focused on getting No. 1 open, he said.
“But of course we’re not taking the risk of coming to New York for just one restaurant,” he added. “The obvious route would be to open a few more in New York City and also potentially some suburbs around.”
Recanati is not considering franchising—the scratch-cooking model makes it too complicated. But he might look at a commissary model, if growth takes off.
Farmer J is among a number of U.K. concepts coming to U.S. shores this year.
In February, for example, the restaurant Pick & Cheese is coming to Shaver Hall food hall. It features a 200-foot conveyor belt from which guests can select cheeses and accompaniments, grilled cheese sandwiches, and sweet treats, with wine on tap. The concept was founded in London by Mathew Carver.
In addition, two concepts are coming from London-based operator JKS Restaurants.
The first is the high-end Indian concept Gymkhana, which is scheduled to open at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas in December.
And more-famous-sister-brand Dishoom, another Indian concept by the group, is reportedly coming to New York. The private-equity firm L Catterton recently acquired a minority stake in Dishoom.
Some press accounts have suggested that U.K. operators are fleeing to the U.S. for growth because of traffic slumps across the industry there.
Recanati, who comes from the banking industry, said he’s fully aware of the challenges waiting for the brand when it finally opens in the U.S.
Still, he noted, the U.S. has a much bigger fast-casual market than the U.K. And economic trends are cyclical.
“We are starting with one site in New York where there are still lots of young professionals coming to work most days who are looking for something for lunch,” he said. “We can still open a few restaurants here and be successful, even if the market is down.”
And, he added, “As long as you stay true to the quality of food and customer service, and continue to execute, you’ll come out the other side.”
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