As ingredient transparency increasingly becomes the most important item on any menu, a new, innovative program seeks to redefine how chefs and restaurants are viewed and valued. Good Food 100 Restaurants is a new badge of trust that educates eaters and recognizes chefs and restaurants that are transparent with their purchasing and sustainable business practices. Founded by food industry veteran Sara Brito with seed funding provided by entrepreneur Jeff Hermanson, the first of its kind, strategic rating system promises to move the restaurant industry forward by underscoring how chefs and restaurants are building a better food system and supporting state, regional, and national good food economies.
“Good food is more than just taste. Truly good food is beneficial for every link in the food chain. We want eaters to appreciate that and learn to evaluate chefs and restaurants for their commitment to transparency, sustainability and their overall impact on good food economies,” says Brito. “Eaters look to ratings, lists and awards to help navigate the proliferation of food choices. Good Food 100 Restaurants is a game changer, shifting away from recognition based on opaque standards and subjective criteria to recognition based on objective standards and transparent criteria defined by economic impact.”
The Good Food 100 will be compiled based on self-reported annual food purchasing data, independently audited by Consumer Values Verified, a division ofNSF International. The data collected will be used to quantify restaurants on a link rating system of 2-5 based on percent of total food costs spent to support state, regional and national ‘good food’ producers and purveyors. Restaurants will be categorized as:
Quick Service
Fast Casual
Casual Dining
Food Delivery Services
To accompany the list, the Business Research Division of Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder, will analyze the data to produce the Good Food 100 annual economic analysis measuring chefs’ good food purchasing decisions on local, regional, and national economies.
The impetus for the new rating system began when Brito undertook a first of its kind pilot economic impact analysis with seven Denver-area restaurant owners to examine the effect of chef purchasing power on the local economy. The study found that those seven chefs alone were responsible for a combined $7.4 million economic impact just from the foods they purchased within Colorado.
“Chefs are no longer just cooks. They are trusted authorities and advocates who have the power to educate and catalyze change among not only their colleagues, but the general public as well,” adds Brito. “If a small number of chefs have such a profound impact, imagine the effect of hundreds across the country.”
Several influential culinary trailblazers have committed to participating in the Good Food 100 Restaurants, including: Mike Anthony (Gramercy Tavern, Untitled, Union Square Hospitality Group), Rick Bayless (Frontera, Tortas by Frontera), Alex Seidel (Fruition, Mercantile & Provisions), Kelly Whitaker(Basta), Suzanne Goin (Lucques, A.O.C., Larder), Hugh Acheson (5&10), Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja), Jonathon Sawyer (Team Sawyer Restaurants),William Dissen (The Marketplace Restaurant), Stephen Stryjewski (Cochon, Butcher, Herbsaint, and Peche), Steven Satterfield (Miller Union), Paul Reilly(Beast + Bottle and Coperta), David LeFevre (Manhattan Beach Post, Fishing With Dynamite, and The Arthur J), Andrea Reusing (Lantern and The Durham), Renee Erickson (Walrus & Carpenter, The Whale Wins, Barnacle Bar, Bar Melusine, Bateau, General Porpoise) and Bill Telepan (Oceana).
Chefs and restaurants interested in participating can visit the Good Food 100 website to complete the survey. The Good Food 100 inaugural rating and economic analysis report will be revealed in May 2017.
Augmenting the ratings and report, the Good Food 100 seeks to roll out a number of initiatives designed to showcase chefs who are embracing good food, including an exclusive Good Food Chef Camp, an inspirational and educational program in Crested Butte, Colorado.
