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FOODSERVICE PROFILE<br />
DES MOINES<br />
A Foodservice City<br />
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CENTRO RESTAURANT<br />
I<br />
owa’s restaurant industry continues to<br />
outpace predictions on both employment<br />
and revenue growth. Although<br />
both the National and Iowa Restaurant<br />
Associations projected Iowa’s foodservice<br />
industry would add 1,230 jobs in 2015, the<br />
state quadrupled that projection, posting a net<br />
increase of 5,200 industry positions last year.<br />
Iowa restaurant revenues also exceeded<br />
expectations last year, according to the Iowa<br />
Restaurant Association. Entering 2015,<br />
revenues had been projected to land just<br />
over $3.6 billion, however Iowa’s restaurant<br />
industry posted more than $4 billion in sales in<br />
2015. This year’s restaurant sales are expected<br />
to exceed $4.2 billion.<br />
The hundreds of local Des Moines eateries<br />
run the gamut from upscale fine dining to<br />
casual cafes.<br />
“There have been many new restaurants<br />
opening up in the city, with a little bit of everything,”<br />
says Vince Barkhoff, produce category<br />
marketing manager at Martin Brothers,<br />
a foodservice and supplies distributor. “We’re<br />
seeing a strong interest in kale and any type<br />
of specialty tomato.”<br />
In April of 2015, the Des Moines City<br />
Council approved a pilot program for food<br />
trucks in the city. It was a six-month pilot<br />
program and required vendors to license trucks<br />
in order to operate. Four specific areas were<br />
designated where the trucks could park and<br />
sell food. The city council decided to expand<br />
the pilot program last March, which allows<br />
the trucks to operate at six parks within Des<br />
Moines, including Greenwood, Ashworth,<br />
Union, Grandview, Ewing and MacRae Parks.<br />
“As far as foodservice, we continue to see<br />
development, and West Des Moines in particular<br />
is going into a growth explosion with new<br />
restaurants opening up every day,” says Gene<br />
Loffredo, president/chief executive of Loffredo<br />
Fresh Produce. “There also is a strong national<br />
presence with restaurant chains.”<br />
Like the growing number of restaurants<br />
across the country, Des Moines foodservice<br />
operators are increasingly focused on the use<br />
of local produce. As a result, many are incorporating<br />
seasonal dishes to take advantage of<br />
the availability of fruits and vegetables from<br />
the region.<br />
“On the foodservice side, the upper scale<br />
restaurants with high-end chefs tend to<br />
promote local produce items,” says Peterson<br />
at Chandler Metelman.<br />
According to the Greater Des Moines<br />
Convention and Visitors Bureau, there is a<br />
number of city staples in its dining scene. These<br />
include Flying Mango’s 24-hour smoked beef<br />
brisket; Machine Shed’s giant cinnamon rolls;<br />
801 Chophouse’s USDA prime steaks; Fong’s<br />
Pizza’s Crab Rangoon pie; and Tursi’s Latin<br />
King’s Chicken Spiedini, with chicken breast<br />
skewered and marinated, then rolled in Italian<br />
breadcrumbs and charbroiled.<br />
“Many Des Moines chefs have specialty<br />
produce items, such as jicama sticks,” says<br />
Adam Babcock, director of operations for<br />
fresh-cut processor Produce Innovations. pb<br />
PRODUCE BUSINESS / AUGUST 2016 / 91
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