Farmers Diner Plotting New Restaurant in PLG

Great news, folks: it looks like the Farmers Diner is indeed headed our way. The owners of the Vermont-based eatery have been in talks with the landlords of 552 Flatbush about leasing the old Mike's space. The two sides have ironed out a deal and the Diner is tentatively scheduled to sign a lease in June, with the expectation of opening September 2010.

True to its locovore ethos, the Farmers Diner owner are looking to local residents to invest in the restaurant. They not only want the food they sell to be grown locally, they want as many stakeholders as possible from the neighborhood -- a brilliant idea, IMHO, and one bound to increase the odds of success.

The current plan is for the restaurant to be open 24/7, have a separate take-out station with prepared meals (a la Whole Foods), and a full bar. Prices for dinner entrees are expected to run from $9 to $12.

All of this is tentative, of course, but we'll let you know more as plans get farther along.

UPDATE 4/13/10: If any locals are seriously interested in investing, email me at brooklynite282 at gmail.com and I'll put you in touch with the Farmers Diner folks.

Comments

[Nick Russell]

This is great! A full bar, even.

I'd love to hear more information on what it means to be a "stakeholder."

[Matt]

This could be huge for our neighborhood. So glad that they're moving forward with it! And I think it's great that they're picking a spot off the Lincoln strip, to share the love a bit. I hope the 24-hr thing works, but that may be the trickiest.

[babs]

It's my understanding that they were originally looking for a $10K minimum investment from "stakeholders," which presumably excludes many of us (me, in any event, though I will eat there!).

[Jeff]

This couldn't possibly be the same babs that was hatin' on all the people with money when it came to the coop, right?

[Seth]

It may be worth discussing with Farmers Diner ways to allow smaller investments to be grouped together to encourage participation from a wide range of individuals in the community regardless of their income. That being said, and speaking for myself, the Farmers Diner is not a coop. While it has a socially responsible mission, it is a for profit business which gives both equity and profits to its investors. Decisions will ultimately rest with the majority owners. While we might encourage or propose ways for broader investment and participation, this may not be practical or desired or even wise from a business standpoint. And this is precisely how a coop differs from a for profit enterprise. Farmers Diner's mission is a socially responsible one but it is a business. A food coop's mission is generally to provide high quality food products at a low price that meet with the membership's democratically selected ideals and principles.

Similar ingredients, but different recipes.

I think anyone involved in working with Farmers Diner to make their choice of our neighborhood a reality should be thanked and congratulated. Farmers Diner will be an asset to our community for many years to come.

[Midwoody]

Me and my family are absolutely thrilled that Farmer's Diner is coming to PLG! Kudos to all who are making this happen! Very exciting news... See you all there for some french toast and bacon in September!

[babs]

Thanks for pointing out the distinction, Seth. I don't discriminate at all against rich people (some of my best friends are rich), but the idea of a co-op is that everyone is treated absolutely equally, and that includes working!

[Jeanne]

Seth, they are asking for smaller investments. There's a document that was sent out by the owner selling shares at a dollar apiece to the neighborhood. Somebody more on the inside can correct me if I'm wrong and hopefully can tell everybody how to buy those shares.

[carrie]

Jeanne, I think the one dollar bit is a misreading of the prospectus. But if anyone in seriously interested in investing, email me directly and I'll put you in touch with Tod and Denise (the heads of Farmers Diner): brooklynite282 at gmail.com.