While a growing number of restaurants are featuring herb gardens, only a select few in the U.S. have added hydroponic or aeroponic growing systems. In April, Playa restaurant in West Hollywood, Calif., became the latest to add aeroponic Tower Gardens to its rooftop. With nearly 1,000 herb, lettuce, and pepper plants on the 6-feet-high Tower Gardens, Playa is able to supply most of its own produce. “Produce is very expensive, plus I wasn’t able to find certain Latin ingredients that I needed,” says John Rivera Sedlar, chef and co-owner of Playa, which features new urban Latin cuisine. Even with the restaurant’s initial investment in the growing system from Future Growing – which recycles the water used for the plants – Sedlar estimates that the restaurant saves between 65 percent and 85 percent on purchasing produce. Plus, Sedlar and the other Playa chefs enjoying maintaining and harvesting the plants, he says. Hydroponic and aeroponic gardens are on the rise at restaurants because chefs and restaurant owners want to provide the highest quality – and most local – ingredients to guests, says Doug Jacobs, founder and CEO of AMPS in New Orleans, which designs, builds, and operates hydroponic farms. “People want to know where their food is coming from and they want to support local. Local is quickly becoming the new ‘organic’, and is considered better than organic,” Jacobs says. Sedlar agrees. “Even organic food has to be boxed and put into a truck. This is instantaneous and highly nutritious,” he says. Chefs also say they are adding hydroponic tower gardens so they can use fresher and more flavorful herbs, grow plants faster than in regular gardens, and not have the dirt and mess of regular gardening. “Whenever you order herbs from purveyors, you don’t how long it has been since they were picked. If you pick it fresh and use it right away, you can taste the difference,” says Dominique Macquet, chef and owner of Dominique’s on Magazine in New Orleans, La., which opens in November. At the 180-seat Dominique’s on Magazine, the restaurant will feature a “garden room” with five hydroponic Tower Gardens. “There will be lounge chairs where guests can sip wine and champagne, and smell all these amazing herbs while they wait for their table,” Macquet says. The new restaurant also features a courtyard that has aeroponic growing systems (plants are grown in an air or mist environment without the use of soil) suspended from a brick wall and displayed inside over-sized picture frames. “Herbs will be growing out of them and we will have lights that shine on them, like giant paintings,” says Wendy Macquet, group sales manager for Dominique’s on Magazine. Dominique’s invested $5,000 for five, nine-foot Tower Gardens, which will produce 180 different herbs, habanero peppers, and other produce on a regular basis. John Mooney, co-owner and chef of Bell Book & Candle in New York, N.Y., agrees that the quality of hydroponic herbs grown in aeroponic gardens is higher than purchasing form purveyors. “You see the quality from start to finish and you control the whole process. You can clip herbs to order and have living lettuces grown to the size you need,” says Mooney. BB & C features 60 Tower Gardens on the rooftop of its eatery. As a nice side benefit, the aeroponic gardens set these restaurants apart from others. “We have received loads of publicity on this, and the publicity translates to the guest’s chair,” Mooney says. “We have gotten a lot of traction from the press, and guests coming in who want to know more about it,” Sedlar says.
You might also like...
New Japanese Concept Omakase Shoji Opens in Chicago’s West Town Neighborhood
With a rich background steeped in Japanese culinary tradition, Takashi Iida and Shoji Takahashi bring their unparalleled expertise to the heart of Chicago’s West Town neighborhood with the grand opening of Omakase Shoji (1641 W Chicago Ave). The concept is a collaborative effort led by the guidance of Takashi Iida, with the execution overseen by […]
Rock & Brews Continues to Grow Nationwide
Rock & Brews, the rock-inspired restaurant and entertainment concept founded by music legends Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, continues to grow its national footprint within the hospitality and casino industries. With 24 locations across the country, the company has six casino restaurant locations in development to open in the next 18 months in […]
El Naranjo in Austin Celebrates 12 Years of Business
On May 1, 2024, El Naranjo, Austin’s beloved authentic Mexican restaurant, helmed by James Beard Award-winning and Bar and Restaurant Expo’s 2024 Chef of the Year Chef Iliana de la Vega and her daughter Chef de Cuisine Ana Torrealba, commemorates 12 years of exceptional cuisine, service, and dedication to culinary tradition in Austin, Texas. Chef de […]
World’s Largest Applebee’s Franchisee Flynn Group Signs 25-Unit Deal
Applebee’s, one of the world’s largest casual dining brands, recently signed an agreement with the world’s largest restaurant franchise operator, Flynn Group, with the goal to open 25 new Applebee’s restaurants in the U.S. over the next seven years. This expansion goal is part of Applebee’s development strategy to return the brand to net new unit openings. Tony […]
Matt Marcus Named Executive Chef at The Woodall
John C. Metz, executive chef, CEO and co-founder of Sterling Hospitality, welcomed Matt Marcus as the new executive chef at his Westside Village restaurant the Woodall. Marcus, who previously served as the executive chef of The Farm at Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming, and as the executive chef-owner of famed Atlanta dining institution Watershed, brings […]
David Burke to Debut G.O.A.T Pizza in North Carolina
G.O.A.T. Pizza, the highly anticipated sports-themed restaurant developed by internationally celebrated chef David Burke, announced the unveiling of its flagship location on April 27 at 9623 Bailey Road in Cornelius, North Carolina. Crafted to cater to families, sports fans, and food enthusiasts alike, G.O.A.T. Pizza will serve pizza, pasta, sandwiches, smash burgers, and salads. The 4,100-square-foot restaurant will […]
QSR Automations Wins Honor at Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service
QSR Automations, global industry leader in kitchen automation and guest management services since 1996, has been presented with a Bronze Stevie Award in the Customer Service Department of the Year category at the 18th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world’s top honors […]
Houston’s Molihua is Now Accepting Reservations
Molihua, a captivating new addition to Houston’s culinary scene, announces it is now accepting reservations. Led by Michelin-Starred Chefs Ho Chee Boon and Hideki Hiwatashi, Molihua, meaning ‘Jasmine’ in Chinese, will serve Japanese cuisine, dim sum and dessert offerings in a stunning space on the second floor of Blossom Hotel Houston. The restaurant promises a refined […]
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Taps ParTech for Ordering and Loyalty Solutions
ParTech, Inc. (PAR), a global restaurant technology company providing unified commerce solutions for enterprise restaurants, announces that the renowned American restaurant franchise, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, has selected PAR MENU and PAR Punchh for its innovative omnichannel ordering and loyalty platforms. This marks a new chapter as Beef ‘O’ Brady’s returns to PAR’s ecosystem, harnessing the advanced capabilities of both solutions. […]
Subscribe to FS Insider
Get daily updates on quick-serve industry news, tips, and events.
"*" indicates required fields