D.C. Area-Restaurant-Turned Grocery Store Helps Community
Founding Farmers continues to bring joy to patrons.
By Noah Lenkin
It is another Monday night, and I anxiously await our annual Founding Farmers dinner. The roasted chicken with all kinds of flavorings, the warm and creamy mashed potatoes and the green beans that have a special kind of crunch to them. We pass around their equally delightful rolls, which are softer than the clouds in the sky, and proceed to eat. By the end of the meal, I am stuffed. However, I have managed to save room for Founding Farmers’ delicious vanilla ice cream, which sends a warm feeling throughout my body. After dessert, I can’t help but think of the next Monday night when we get to enjoy Founding Farmers once again.
My family and I have been going to the restaurant for many years, and we have a lovely experience each time we go. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, however, Founding Farmers and I have both undergone changes. Instead of dining in each week, we get groceries each week and eat our meal at home.
Founding Farmers is a restaurant chain with five locations, primarily in the Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia regions. with locations in D.C., Reston, Montgomery County, King of Prussia and Tysons. It was founded in 2005 and serves primarily foods that are grown on American family farms.
The exterior of Founding Farmers. Photo by Noah Lenkin
With restaurants across the nation being forced to close their doors in March, Founding Farmers owner Dan Simon knew he had to do something once the pandemic began.
“As soon as the lockdowns were announced and in place mid/late March, we knew we wanted to stay in the fight,” Simon says. “My business partner and I decided we had to pivot to meet our guests where they were at during this time, and within two weeks we launched our market at Founding Farmers Montgomery County.”
According to Simon, Founding Farmers’ customers have continued to be loyal.
“We’ve had an outpouring of support from our guests, and it has been totally awesome to see our community come together and support their local businesses,” Simon says. “We continue to always keep the lines of communication open with our guests — so if they have specific requests, questions or feedback — we’re always listening.”
Founding Farmers has also had their employees beside them every step of the way. “Our employees are absolute rockstars, and they continue to amaze me every single day. Our team has been on board with the idea since day 1, and we have watched them work incredibly hard to bring our market/grocery to life,” Simon says. “One of the best parts of the market/grocery launch was being able to rehire some of our hourly employees who we initially had to lay off due to lockdown closures.”
However, “The most rewarding part is creating jobs in tough times and being a food provider for families in our community,” Simon says.
Some of my favorite items on the menu include their cheeseburger, steak frites, and especially the delicious mashed potatoes, which are a must-have. Their cheeseburger is juicy and melts in my mouth, and the steak frites are the crispiest in town. The mashed potatoes take me to another world, where everything is fluffy and awesome.
On Yelp, Founding Farmers’ location at Montgomery County, the one I frequent the most, has 3.4 stars out of 4, and glowing reviews from former diners.
So when my family heard they were converting the restaurant to a grocery store during quarantine, we were ecstatic because we knew we could trust them with our food and that it would hit the spot as well.
Their service was excellent, as the employees always wore masks when they handed us food, and it was just as good as going to the restaurant.
Rockville resident Lauren Munves also had a pleasant time.
“My experience ordering groceries from Founding Farmers has been great. I only did it once, but I’m thinking about doing it again,” Munves says. “They did get my order pretty right, and there was only one minor problem. I thought I was ordering one onion and ended up ordering a bag of onions. Not that big of a problem! I’ve definitely told friends about what Founding Farmers is doing and my experience.”
A Founding Fathers patron picks up a curbside order. Photo by Noah Lenkin
Yelp reviewer Abigail A. writes that the online ordering system is easy to use: “After you pick the time and (day) for your pickup, you can choose items from their market or groceries (produce, daiary products, meat, seafood, etc.). On the day of your pickup, you'll see signs stating where to go and the number to text when you are there. For the most part, I enjoyed the groceries I ordered. Everything was fresh, well packaged and comparable, if not cheaper than your local supermarket.”
It’s clear that Founding Farmers will be around for many years to come and holds a special place in the hearts of many. I will definitely be going there as much as I can to pay homage to what they did during this pandemic.
About the Writer:
Noah Lenkin of Rockville, Maryland
Noah likes to play tennis, enjoys reading and loves to read The Washington Post every morning. He is curious and inquisitive and ready to learn a new thing every day.