Unlike many trendy restaurants using quirky names to gain clout, Naked Farmer truly provides what its name represents. The Tampa-based farm-to-table serves warm, elevated fare in a fast-casual counter-service environment.
“I just became really inspired by this idea to build restaurants that could build a better food system by sourcing food from local farms and by working with these small- and medium-sized farmers to build a more resilient local food supply chain,” says Naked Farmer CEO Jordan Johnson.
Naked Farmer advances by looking backward.
This is not a new idea, he assures. Before the time of truck deliveries and wholesale Sysco vending, restaurants had always used what was grown nearby to create their meals. The issue now is that, to keep the planet healthy, we must return to what once was.
“We have a very nationalized supply chain; most of our food comes from California, Mexico, Guatemala,” Johnson says. “All very beautiful places, but a very long distance for food to travel to make it to your plate.”
While on lunch break, Johnson found himself repeatedly unable to find a restaurant to eat at that served convenient, high-quality food, with transparently sourced ingredients. The only way to fill the gap, he decided, was to wedge himself further into the restaurant industry, having spent a year as COO for SoFresh.
A self-appointed supply chain “geek,” Johnson continues, “I was reading all sorts of books, and the question was ‘how are we going to feed the planet in 100 years?’ I was really inspired by one book in particular by Mark Hyman, ‘Food Fix,’ and it’s all about how we can eat food that is better for the planet and is better for our body and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.” His hyper-interest in the supply chain led him to create a fast-casual dining experience that is distinctly set on going “back to the foodture.”
While the first restaurant was charted to open in May 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to further innovation. “[With] all of the direct-to-farm relationships that we had spent a year building in anticipation of opening our stores, we sort of pivoted the entire company within 72 hours and we got food from farm to door.”
Taking “whatever the farm was harvesting,” farm boxes—with options of free-range and grass-fed meats and poultry—was the unique way Naked Farmer was launched. At this point in the pandemic, “the real food was literally flying off the shelves,” says Johnson. For the next six months, Naked Farmer stepped in to keep the Tampa area healthy, juggling the farm boxes project with its brick-and-mortar storefront in July 2020.
Now touting eight locations, Naked Farmer helps educate the customer on the seasonality of produce. Its menu shifts every few months, or, as Johnson puts it, “going with Mother Nature’s flow.”
Some food items remain on the menu (if still in season), but he notes the company’s culinary leaders “change the expression” of certain ingredients to keep them flavorful, fun, and trendy for the upcoming period. For example, the brand’s chicken thigh transformed from its early summer chermoula harissa into its late summer honey barbecue.
While Naked Farmer’s greens, grains, and glazes keep customers on their toes, its plates are customizable. While many opt for the pre-composed meals, such as its Steak and Mushroom Plate (includes a hefty cut of steak, seared blue oyster mushrooms, its signature panko-coated mac and cheese, a zesty brown rice mix, and lemony blackened broccoli), customers can also create their own plate, with their choice of two sides.
The chain also sells most of its components a la carte, with ready-to-go and well-priced proteins available for those who want to add a little more oomph.
While many customers liken the company to a “hot Sweetgreen,” Johnson says the concept is more akin to “going down Mom or Grandma’s table and trying all of these delicious dishes that were made with heart and soul.” Even with Naked Farmer’s side dishes, attention is paid to the flavor combos.
This does not mean slapping a premade dry seasoning blend onto a bowl of veg. Naked Farmer does not use can openers, freezers, or sauces. Rather, herbs and spices are combined thoughtfully in tandem with its housemade “(un)dressings” to highlight the full flavor the produce is capable of without stripping away its natural taste. To Naked Farmer, the shortened travel time from field to kitchen is worth the higher price of working with smaller-scale nearby farmers. “When the food is that fresh, and it was just picked just days ago instead of weeks ago,” Johnson says, explaining its namesake, “you don’t have to do that much to it, you leave it naked.”
He insists the difference between wholesale and local produce can truly be tasted. “I’m tired of bland tomatoes,” he says. “You eat a lot of bland tomatoes in life, whether it’s on a cheeseburger or something … like it’s a tomato but it may as well be a nothing. That’s why our customers are telling us that they love [our produce] because the flavor is so strong.”
Keeping it hyperlocal is not just a selling point for Naked Farmer. Its Farmer’s Panzanella side dish features locally grown (obviously) tomatoes, onions, and herbs. The panzanella’s sourdough is sourced from local bakeries in each region, differing depending upon individual restaurant location. Most of its current greens come from a farm in downtown St. Petersburg, says Johnson, “literally six minutes away from one of our locations, and fifteen minutes away from the other two [that are nearby].”
Naked Farmer’s sustainability journey does not end with its sourcing practices. Its takeout materials (utensils, to-go containers) are all compostable. Being Florida-based, Johnson says the organic food movement has yet to catch on in the Sunshine State. “We use our purchasing power to drive awareness,” he says, with a focus on using organic farms that use regenerative farming and vertical farming techniques. When those practices are used, the harvest haul can be more nutrient-dense, as the soil is better preserved for future usage.
Further, buying food from local farmers helps to further the chain’s individual economy, assisting it in purchasing more equipment, hiring new help, and supporting its own families.
Naked Farmer’s most recent opening was its Sarasota location in June, but another launch is just around the corner, with its first Fort Lauderdale location coming in January.
Currently, Johnson says half of its current menu uses organic produce. Naked Farmer’s goal is to one day be 100 percent locally grown and completely organic. “We can make choices about the way that we eat that can really benefit the planet and benefit the economy,” he says.
