On October 21, VSAG Marketing Director Jennifer Motruk Loy, gave the Washington Business Journal initial details about the second Founding Farmers location. The Journal’s BizBeat blog published news of VSAG’s plans to open Founding Farmers in Park Potomac, MD next Fall. The Washington, DC location opened September 18, 2008 and VSAG has signed a lease in Park Potomac, MD with the goal of opening the new location around that same time in 2011. VSAG will continue to manage Farmers & Fishers, Founding Farmers in Washington, DC and at this new location. More news to come.

Kudos to CarbonFund for the recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlighting the trend of making a positive move to reduce carbon footprints – the yearly amount of carbon dioxide we emit into the environment – for big corporate leaders like Amtrak, Jet Blue, Hyundai and Dell.  VSAG is also a CarbonFund.org subscriber,  reducing the carbon footprints of restaurant clients like Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, with the purchase of carbon offsets through CarbonFund.org.   In 2009 alone, VSAG purchased credits to offset more than 72 tons of carbon dioxide to reduce the environmental impact of the restaurants.  It’s just a small part of the VSAG Corporate Social Responsibility that is imparted to all clients.

According to the article, these carbon-offset retailers calculate fossil-fuel consumption and neutralize it with earth-friendly initiatives. There are varying ways these credits are put to use, but examples include investing in reforestation, renewable energy and methane-gas capture-and-destruction efforts.  The article is a must read for businesses that want to be more environmentally responsible – from a 2-person operation to a 2,000 person company – everyone can do their part.   Read the full article.

…and sharing the news and information with the industry is part of the VSAG mission, from inside the restaurants to beyond our clients’ doors to their guests and customers.  Operating in an environmentally friendly way is inherent to successful restaurants Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, both in Washington, DC, so whenever the request comes in for insight and industry knowledge on green restaurants, VSAG Principal Dan Simons is there to share what he knows, recognizing the importance of continuous education for the public  – and the hospitality industry  -  on making smart choices in operations, menu and environments that are important steps in keeping hospitality green.

A recent Restaurants & Institutions magazine feature highlighted the leading efforts of restaurants like Baja Fresh and Founding Farmers, to turn their best practices in operations and environmentally-friendly appeal more green and are recognized for their efforts to differentiate themselves for consumers and guests that are concerned with reducing their own environmental impact.

Last month, Dan served as a panelist at George Washington University with Women in Business to discuss Corporate Social Responsibility – a big topic with big leaders from Dupont and entrepreneurs all focused on maintaining good CSR VSAG is setting new – and realistic standards in the world of hospitality and will continue to share and lead by diverse and informed means.

From Dan Simons, VSAG Principal, in Response to the December 7, 2009 article by Jane Black that appeared on the front page of The Washington Post:

We’re thankful to Jane Black for bringing such an important topic – sustainable agriculture and what it means to be a green restaurant committed to sustainable business practices – to the front page of The Washington Post. How much more important can this topic get for foodies and restaurateurs? Not much more, but we’re glad that there is focus on a successful business in Washington, DC, that is working to help American family farmers and pushing the envelope on a broad array of topics that go well beyond the superficial, easy topics. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s no wonder that environmentally conscious diners think twice about ordering bottled water from the restaurants that they frequent, but for patrons of VSAG client restaurants Founding Farmers and Farmers & Fishers, there’s not bottled water available.  At least not the ‘fancy’ imported kind – their water comes from the Washington DC water authority – right out of the tap!  Since the opening of Founding Farmers in fall 2008, the Natura water filtration system has been used in house, and was installed at Farmers & Fishers last spring to eliminate bottled water and the waste it creates.   The system intakes tap water from the local supply and superfilters and mineralizes it for fresh, clean water to serve to guests, all without the use of chemicals and with a choice of room temperature, chilled, or sparkling.

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VSAG Chief Mixologist and director of our bar and beverage programs Jon Arroyo was visited by mixology industry Pegu blogger Doug Winship on a recent visit to Washington, D.C. Check out his review of Farmers & Fishers‘ cocktail program, and gain some great insights into what makes Jon’s cocktail crafting stand out.  TIki cocktails, anyone?

Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group (VSAG) the restaurant team that conceptualized, manages and operates the bustling and award-winning Founding Farmers in downtown DC announces the opening of  Farmers & Fishers, an evolution of the Farmers brand to the waterfront. After just over four months of extensive food menu design and creation, transformation of the bar program to highlight a Tiki Bar menu, and a refreshing of the interiors with new colors, fabrics and artwork, the new Farmers & Fishers is ready for guests. The new concept officially opens on Wednesday, June 24, though guests have been seeing the changes over the last couple of weeks.

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