It’s hard to believe that six months have passed since VSAG opened Potomac’s Founding Farmers (PFF). As the restaurant consulting and management team behind the Farmers Restaurant Group, our experience with the Farmers restaurants and all our other phenomenal clients has taught us that success is never a sure thing as a brand grows. That said … we’re so pleased that the PFF guests, and the community, have embraced the restaurant!

While continuing Founding Farmers’ commitment to sustainably-farmed ingredients, PFF offers some unique seasonal selections and specialized items that guests are enjoying!  From our specially designed Woodstock Oven (which uses approx 800 heat to seal in the amazing flavors of our spatchcock chicken and fish dishes in mere minutes), to our house-made scratch sodas in flavors like ginger, hibiscus and vanilla all made-to-order, and our Crazy Corn Salad (yup, the name says it all. It’s crazy delicious!) – we are getting positive feedback from guests across Maryland, DC and beyond!

From day one, we’ve been hard at work putting our amazing PFF team of 120 employees together and getting right down to business. To date, we’ve held employee orientations and continuing education classes, started a six-month Manager in Training Program and engaged in community efforts, such as hosting a restaurant visit/kitchen tour for a local area school, supporting a local youth soccer team and donating PFF certificates/gift cards to various community groups and schools to assist in fundraising efforts.

We plan to continue our staff education and training, outreach efforts, menu development and more as we strive to continue to grow the brand.  If you haven’t dined at PFF …. Come and see us soon!

For more information on PFF, please got to: www.wearefoundingfarmers.com

Healthful kids’ meals. Locally sourced meats and seafood. Sustainability. Gluten-free/food allergy-conscious items. These are only some of the top 2012 food/menu trends recently revealed by The National Restaurant Association.

But, staying on trend without becoming too trendy is an art – a tricky one at that.  And as you develop and create your restaurant business plan, menu content, menu design, restaurant design and even name, it’s important to keep the mantra of being on trend versus being trendy in mind.

“There is a value in this business to staying on trend, without jumping on the bandwagon and being TRENDY,” says Dan Simons, VSAG Principal. “You really need to have your radar up to protect yourself from stampeding with the herd. Know what’s happening in the market, and why, and prepare your plan accordingly.”
As restaurant service professionals who have experience walking that fine line, here are some tips to keep you on trend:

Don’t Run, Walk. Everyone goes running towards fads. The key here is to wait and watch. Let everyone else run by you – for now.  Take this opportunity to study the front-runners and understand what they are doing – and how it’s being received in their business.  Use this information to help you decide if and when you want to jump in the game.  Remember, just because you love cotton candy doesn’t mean this American-favorite works with your Thai concept.
Get the Facts. If you decide to jump in the game, arm yourself with tried and true statistics. For example, consider ice cream. No matter how you serve it (creamy, gelato, tart, healthy, trendy flavors), people (young and old) love it! But, look at the facts: Who is in the forefront? Why? What are their methodologies? What part of the country sells the most ice cream? What genre has stabilized across the board? Review your findings, then ask yourself: Do I really think I can sell enough ice cream on the east coast in the winter to clear overhead costs like rent, salaries, health insurance and more in a big city like Washington, New York or Boston?
Think Long Term. It’s imperative to build your restaurant business plan for today and for the long term.  For example, sure there is a huge cupcake trend in the US right now–approximately 600,000 cupcakes are sold per day – but what happens in 10 years from now? Does your brand have a point of difference that will set you apart in an already over-saturated market?

The information is out there. You just have to know how to find it and use it to your advantage. VSAG knows the importance of analyzing the trends, and studies the competition constantly to ensure we are able to offer unique and well-versed advice when assisting a client with their restaurant business plan, concept development and day-to-day operations.

We are pleased to announce that the recipient of 2nd annual Scholarship for Sustainable Hospitality award is George Washington University (GW) School of Business student Alexis Aliquo.

The scholarship is funded by VSAG, Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers restaurant in conjunction with the GW Power & Promise Fund.  The annual $5,000 scholarship was created to support a GW student currently studying sustainability who hopes to one day build a successful career in sustainable hospitality.

Alexis was chosen because she embodies that dedication to achieve a career focused on sustainable practices. Hailing from Staten Island, NY, Alexis has proven a successful academic performer while studying sustainable hospitality on her road to a 2013 GW School of Business degree in Marketing and Hospitality Management.  The self-described “theater loving, band geek, sorority girl” is now well on her way to achieving her dream of landing a hotel sales or marketing position post graduation that will provide her with the professional experience to one day open a hotel of her own.

As the management team providing all concept development and on-going restaurant services for Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, VSAG is pleased to celebrate the continuation of sustainable efforts through the Scholarship for Sustainable Hospitality award.

The Scholarship for Sustainable Hospitality award will be formally presented on April 20, 2012 at a special GW scholarship event. We congratulate Alexis on winning this award and wish her luck in all her future endeavors.

What is a capital raise? Basically, a capital raise is obtaining capital (i.e. cash money) from investors to help fund new or growing business ventures, where the investors will own a share in the business in exchange for their investment.

A capital raise is a great option for many start-up hospitality businesses, especially those that are not self-or bank-funded.  Investors can be found anywhere: from family and friends to like-minded business people within your community.

That said, a capital raise is certainly one of the most difficult parts of opening a new business, and like anything, the more prepared you are, the better you will fare.

According to VSAG principal Dan Simons, “The reality is that there are no joys, except the day you actually close the funding and sign the final papers. The key to surviving the emotional pendulum of a capital raise is to have outstanding preparation and real clarity; clarity on all aspects of your project and why it’s a great opportunity for investors that has a high likelihood of hitting their desired ROI target.”

That being said, it takes a lot of hard work, selling yourself and your dream, and preparing yourself for disappointment. Although obtaining capital for starting a restaurant isn’t an easy process, we’re here to help.  As professional restaurant consultants, we at VSAG have been down this road more than once.  So, we want to share what we have learned about the joys and miseries of raising capital for starting a restaurant to help simplify that process for you:

•    Have Complete Clarity for both you AND future investors. Create a clear mission statement. What is your restaurant all about? Engage investors by top-lining the specifics of your business plan, all the while knowing every last detail of the plan.  Investors need complete clarity on why this venture will be beneficial and a great decision for them … and confidence that you are prepared.

•    Hone Your Presentation Prowess. Developing a clean, detailed presentation where the business plan is well written, fully complete and clearly laid out is a must. Begin with your mission statement and convey your brand: keep all key messages, visions, ideals, point of differences, how you’ll make it happen and the like streamlined. Consistency is key.

•    Be Prepared on Paper. Prepare for and anticipate the probing questions to the best of your ability. Know your product and plans inside and out so you are ready to answer any question thrown at you.  Start your process with a “Terms Sheet” outlining the major deal points, and use this document to gauge investor interest and get initial commitments.

•    Be Prepared Emotionally. You’ll need to steel yourself emotionally for the pendulum: the great and the not so great, the promises and the (many) reneges. We liken the process of raising capital for starting a new restaurant to setting the goal of climbing a mountain just slightly higher than any one you’ve climbed before. As much as one believes it’s doable, most will fail.

•    Be a Person that You Would Invest In. In the beginning, you may think all that will exchange hands is the money. But, with experience comes the realization that it is more than that – it is not only about selling your business plan, but selling yourself … your character, your integrity, your passion.   A good idea is only bolstered by the person who wants to bring it to life.

•    Legal Documents. It is certainly a best practice to use attorneys to prepare an Operating Agreement that sets up the investment terms, ownership and management structure. While such documents can be purchased online as templates, we believe that a great business attorney brings tremendous value.   Once your Terms Sheet has garnered significant interest from potential investors it then makes sense to invest the time and money with your attorney for the Operating Agreement, and related subscription agreements.  Your attorney can also provide the guidance on all related documents you may need, such as the Private Placement Memorandum and a statement of Accredited Investors.

Raising capital for starting a restaurant is not without its highs and lows. In the end, if you prepare well, and believe in yourself and your business plan, others will too.

As winter becomes a distant memory, we are all feeling a little spring in our step these days. Everything seems lighter … from our moods to our clothing to our food cravings.

With that, your menu and restaurant design and feel should reflect the lightness of spring for your guests, both literally and figuratively – open the windows, dust off your patio furniture and start prepping your pantry to offer lighter menu options.

If you need a little inspiration, here’s a list of our favorite seasonal spring ingredients (in no particular order): English peas, artichokes, asparagus, spring strawberries, ramps, fiddlehead ferns, fava beans and radishes (to name a few!).

Just the list makes us hungry to dive into new menu development.

At VSAG, we believe in relishing the seasons. We work with our clients to create great seasonal menus that fit within their specific mission and brand identity. For example, our client Potomac’s Founding Farmers offers sustainable, farm-to-table fare, so we helped develop a spring menu that featured more locally sourced fruits and vegetables and seasonal ingredients for dishes like the Artichoke and Chick Pea Gunny Sack, Gardener’s Pie and Spring Veggie Succotash.

To get a head start on what’s in this spring at your local farmer’s market, check out http://www.realtimefarms.com and plan a visit. Local farmers are a great culinary resource and welcome the support of their harvests.

So, as the warm spring breeze fills the air, let our VSAG creative team of expert restaurant consultants, food service consultants and chefs work with you to create an innovative, lighter menu that celebrates the season through your brand.

Honeybees! As honeybees happily buzzed around DC last summer, VSAG got a bee in our bonnets:  Why not broaden the scope of our client Founding Farmers’ sustainable practices and create an apiary, where the freshly harvested honey could be used in the restaurants?

Now in its second year, our apiary has been a buzzing success!

It all began with a partnership with George Washington University (GW).  VSAG client Founding Farmers is a next-door neighbor to the nationally ranked University.  VSAG approached GW with the thought of creating the largest-known restaurant-owned urban apiary in the country. Today, the beehives are a fixture on the roof of a GW academic building located just two blocks from the downtown DC Founding Farmers location.

Once harvested, the honey will be enjoyed throughout the menu at Founding Farmers.  In the meantime, the apiary also plays a part in the expansion of GW’s research goals and student course studies by allowing students to use the hives for research, examining colony life in order to record the habits and communication patterns of honeybees.

“This urban apiary is a natural extension of Founding Farmers’ mission to minimize its impact on the environment through sustainable practices,” said Dan Simons, VSAG Principal and professional restaurant consultant. “Not only do we love being able to harvest our own honey to supplement the restaurant’s usage, but we are proud to partner with GW – a powerhouse in the world of education – on a project like this.”

By the end of this summer, each hive is expected to produce between 20 and 120 pounds of honey. The honey will not only be incorporated throughout Founding Farmers’ menu, but the honey may also be used for small-production bottling.

For further information and for honeybee updates / honey-themed additions to the menu, visit Founding Farmers at: http://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com, and follow the honeybees on Twitter @FFbees.

The iconic beauty of the Chesapeake Bay spans 64,000 square miles of coastal Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The watershed’s once abundant and precious resources helped define the area, while providing livelihoods for the generations who have worked these beautiful shores.

Today though, the Chesapeake Bay is faced with an urgent issue: the decline, and possible demise, of the precious bay oyster.  How did the bay oyster situation get so dire? Bay pollution, overharvested reefs and disease have ravaged the oyster population!  Unfortunately, the numbers are not promising – the Chesapeake Bay oyster populations are currently only about one percent of their historic abundance.

But, with bold steps being taken to improve, revive and restore the bay’s severely dwindled oyster population by states such as Maryland and Virginia, and conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy’s Chesapeake Bay Program, the Oyster Recovery Partnership and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, there is hope.

As restaurant consultants who love the briny sweet flavor of local oysters, this is a cause near and dear to our heart and so we wanted to share with you some of the efforts currently underway to replenish and restore the Chesapeake Bay oyster:

Encouraging Private Aquaculture. Virginia supports local watermen by allowing them to harvest oysters on a rotating basis (about every two years), and also sells plots of riverbed and bay floor to these oyster farmers.

Rebuilding Reefs. Restoring, rebuilding and restocking reefs with oysters are a high priority as oysters 1) feed by filtering microscopic plants from the water, therefore improving water quality and clarity and 2) form large reefs, thereby creating natural habitats for a multitude of marine life. Reefs are so vital to the cause that Maryland has taken steps to protect theirs by forbidding oyster harvesting on a quarter of its reefs.

Creating Large Sanctuaries. These sanctuaries, like the one in Virginia’s Rappahannock River, are being created to preserve the bay environment in the hopes that the bay oysters will flourish.

Recycling Oyster Shells. Since oyster shells are a limited resource and provide a natural habitat for new oysters, the collection of used oyster shells from area restaurants, caterers and seafood wholesalers is crucial. Once collected, the shells are washed and used as setting material for fertilized eggs (called ‘spat’). Once attached, the spat grows in area reefs to help replenish the oyster population.

Although this work will continue for years, there have already been great strides. A recent Maryland survey showed the highest oyster survival rate since 1985 … 92 percent! And while Virginia harvested only 79,600 bushels of oysters in 2005, they racked up 236,200 last year – the most since 1989 – and Maryland had only 26,400 bushels in 2005, but hauled in 121,200 last year.

This issue is not only important for us as restaurant consultant and food service consultant professionals, but for all those in the Chesapeake Bay area: the watermen that work these waters, the locals and visitors who want to feast on the area’s best oysters, and more importantly the legacy we leave our children.

Please visit The Nature Conservancy’s Chesapeake Bay Program or the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for more information.

Healthy, safe, sustainable food is something we always keep in mind, whether we’re advising a green restaurant like Founding Farmers, a mom-and-pop eatery like Shoals, or a mobile dining destination like the Sauça food trucks. No matter what your favorite restaurant might be, VSAG believes that everyone has the right to know where their food comes from and how it got to their plate. That’s why we are asking the Food and Drug Administration to require producers of genetically engineered animals (such as salmon) and crops (such as sugar beets) to clearly label them as such. Greater transparency and more information is always better — especially when it comes to choosing what you eat. To show your support for GMO (genetically modified organism) labeling, sign the “Just Label It!” FDA petition.

As our culture has moved towards healthier food practices and lifestyles, there seems to be more and more talk about sustainability. But, what exactly is sustainability, especially when it comes to food? Well, we’re here to define it for you.

In 1990, when the Farm Bill, which governs farm and food policy, made its way to Congress, the definition of Sustainable Agriculture was: “An integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that over the long term will: (1) satisfy human food and fiber needs, (2) enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends, (3) make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls, (4) sustain the economic viability of farm operations, and (5) enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”

Now, two decades later, these ideas are still very relevant.

As an international restaurant consulting group, VSAG views the implementation of sustainable practices (whenever possible) for the projects we create for our clients to be an integral part of a client’s ability to succeed in the modern restaurant industry.

Simply put, for us “sustainability is about forever, profit, character and transparency. Our character is what drives us to run a business in a way that our children can not only be proud of, but one day continue,” says VSAG Principal Dan Simons.

We strive to stay true to that statement everyday. Not only in the sustainable food our clients serve when supporting local farming communities, but also enhancing environmental quality by using reclaimed wood and textiles, printing menus on recycled paper using soy-based inks, purchasing only energy efficient appliances and the like.

Thus, demonstrating a commitment to sustainability, while creating an eco-friendly product, we hope will inspire future restaurateurs and garner recognition for our clients (we love that Food Republic recently ranked VSAG client Founding Farmers (DC) as one of the Top 10 Sustainable Restaurants in the country!).

As dedicated restaurant consultants, VSAG will continue to support sustainable practices for the betterment of our clients, the world we live in and the planet we will pass on to our children.

VSAG Principal Dan Simons has a new peg to hang his hat on: Professor!  Dan is just coming off a stint teaching a 7-week course at The George Washington University School of Business.  Dan shared his valuable business insight and intel with 20 up-and-coming GW School of Business Students who will surely keep his tips and secrets with them as they embark on what will certainly be successful careers.  Check out a blog post about the class and the student reaction here.