Where the food comes from
EatWell Natural Farm
Most restaurants source from a farm. This group bought one.
Why we bought a farm
EatWell Natural Farm was born from a desire to fill a gap in our supply chain. As we sought out local and natural products, we found that many of our needs could not be met through our current vendors at a price that remained affordable to our guests. So we set out to find a farm of our own to grow naturally raised vegetables and fruit and to feature those items in our restaurants.
The gap that made it necessary
The problem was never finding good produce. It was finding good produce at a price that let a plate stay under twenty dollars. Every local supplier that met the quality standard priced the dining room out of its own neighborhood, and every supplier that met the price failed the standard.
Buying the farm removed the middle of that equation. There is no distributor margin between the field and the kitchen, which is the entire reason a salad here can be genuinely local and still cost eight dollars.
What the farm actually changes
Owning the supply rather than buying it has four practical effects, and they all show up on the plate.
- Menus follow the field
- The seasonal specials are not a marketing device. They exist because a crop came in and the kitchen has to use it while it is good.
- Shorter chain, better condition
- Produce that travels from a group-owned farm to a group kitchen arrives in the shape it left in. Delicate items — greens, herbs, soft fruit — benefit the most.
- Price stability
- Not being exposed to distributor pricing on core vegetables is why the affordable end of the menu has stayed affordable through some difficult years.
- Waste goes somewhere useful
- A group that owns a farm has somewhere for trim and scrap to go. Very little of what is grown ends up in a bin.
Find the farm on the menu
You will see the farm most clearly in the salads and the vegetable sides. The Quinoa Salad with shaved brussels, sweet potato crouton and beets, the Kung Pao Brussels, the seasonal soup that changes without announcement — these are all farm-led rather than menu-led.
The farm also runs a spring open house, which the restaurants have promoted for years. It is the one occasion when guests can walk the fields that supply the kitchen.
Certified Green
Commissary is a certified green restaurant. The farm is one part of a wider sustainability standard covering waste, energy, water and sourcing.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is EatWell Natural Farm?
It is a working farm owned by EatWell DC, the restaurant group Commissary belongs to. It grows naturally raised vegetables and fruit for the group’s kitchens.
Why did a restaurant group buy a farm?
Because local, natural produce could not be sourced through existing vendors at a price that stayed affordable for guests. Owning the farm removed the distributor margin and closed that gap.
Is all the produce at Commissary from the farm?
No. The farm covers a meaningful share of the vegetables and fruit, particularly the seasonal items, but not everything a full-day menu needs. What the farm cannot cover is sourced against the same standard.
Can I visit the farm?
The farm has run a spring open house that Commissary and the other EatWell restaurants promote. Watch the promotions page and the newsletter for dates.
Does the farm affect the menu?
Directly. Daily and seasonal specials are largely driven by what the farm has ready, which is why they change through the year rather than on a fixed schedule.
Come and see us
1443 P St. NW, Washington, DC 20005 — open from 8 AM, seven days a week. Call 202-299-0018 to book a table, or start an order online.