With so many fast-casual restaurants in the marketplace, it’s easy to overlook a brand like Farmer Boys, but the restaurant known for its farm-to-table cuisine and quality burgers is preparing to mark two impressive milestones.
Founded in 1981 and based in Riverside, Farmer Boys is about to celebrate 40 years in business. And, the brand has 98 locations in California and Nevada, including 12 in Orange County.
Soon, restaurant No. 100 will make its debut.
What piqued my interest in Farmer Boys is that while some restaurants are closing locations due to the pandemic, Farmer Boys franchisees recently opened locations in Fullerton and in Huntington Beach near Golden West College.
According to Farmer Boys President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Wetzel, a resident of Laguna Niguel, Farmer Boys has a loyal following that grows wherever a new location is planted.
“We are grateful for the support from guests,” Wetzel told me when we spoke this month. “People are using carryout, ordering ahead, and using the drive-thru, so even with all the restrictions, we are doing very well. We have great longtime franchise partners in Fullerton and Huntington Beach, so even opening those in these times was comforting. We had confidence they would have the ability to excel. Even with Golden West College out, that restaurant is doing gangbusters there. That community has embraced us.”
Local Growth
Wetzel noted that as someone who grew up in Orange County, “I am excited about the growths in those neighborhoods. We continue to deliver the same farm fresh quality food we have always done, and that’s paying off for us.”
Wetzel became president of Farmer Boys this past summer. He joined Farmer Boys last January as VP of Operations after holding executive roles at some of OC’s largest restaurant chains; his resume counts positions at Del Taco, El Pollo Loco, Taco Bell, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
His goal as president is to drive brand strategy, corporate and franchised development, and restaurant performance.
When he joined the company, he looked at the experience Farmer Boys was providing to guests and started work on adding or improving the drive-thru experience to make it quicker and more convenient.
“When we were forced to close all our dining rooms in March, the work we did with drive thru paid off,” said Wetzel. “We shifted more than 40% percent of our business to drive thru.”
Guests have shown their appreciation—Farmer Boys has strong comparable sales year over year, said Wetzel, and after an initial drop due to COVID “we have come back strong and really have not looked back.”
I’ve dined at Farmer Boys several times, and recently discovered they have a Happiest Hour from 2 to 5 p.m. with a handful of items at reduced prices. I ordered a Big Cheese burger and the fried zucchini sticks. The burger tasted farm fresh, probably due to the simple ingredients: pure beef patty, tomato, lettuce, pickles, and diced onions. And the zucchini sticks are both healthy and decadent. Even breaded and fried, I could taste the freshness.
“The deep-fried zucchini is a signature item—we cut them and fry them by hand,” said Wetzel. “And the Happiest Hour has helped generate a lot of snack time business. Our food is fantastic, which is a reflection of the fact that we still do things the old-fashioned way—we cook our burgers fresh, dice the onions and slice the tomatoes.”
A new menu item I devoured last weekend is the Bourbon Bacon Cheddarburger, created in partnership with Tillamook using their medium cheddar cheese. The Bourbon Bacon Cheddarburger is available at all Farmer Boys locations in California through November 9.
You can order either a quarter pound or half pound version. Whichever you get, it’s a hefty handful.
Wetzel, who said his favorite Farmer Boys dishes are the avocado bacon natural burger and the chopped cobb salad, noted that Farmer Boys has not reopened its dining rooms, and will probably wait until people are more comfortable sitting down for an indoor meal.
“There are still a lot of apprehensive people out there, so we have to make sure we get it right,” he said. “Things are moving so quickly and so much has changed in the last six months. Kudos to the industry. It’s amazing how adaptable people can be in such turbulent times.”
Farmer Boys has 12 locations in Orange County. FarmerBoys.com.
