About Us

Why This Exists

Most people don’t realize how much of the restaurant industry is controlled by just a few companies.

Behind the scenes, a massive share of restaurants in the United States rely on the same two national food distributors. That concentration has quietly reshaped what ends up on our plates. Ingredients travel farther. Menus become more uniform. Flavor gets engineered for efficiency instead of freshness. Local farms and small producers get squeezed out by scale.

This project exists to push back on that reality.

Not by shaming restaurants. Not by pretending logistics are easy. But by making visible the places that are choosing a different path.

Fighting the Duopoly, One Meal at a Time

When a duopoly controls the supply chain, choice narrows. Farmers are pressured to produce at volume instead of quality. Chefs lose flexibility. Diners lose variety, often without knowing it.

We believe food systems should be diverse, resilient, and rooted in place.

By highlighting restaurants that source outside the national distributor model, we’re supporting a more decentralized food economy. One where relationships matter. Where chefs know their farmers. Where ingredients are chosen for flavor, seasonality, and care, not just cost per unit.

This is not about perfection. It’s about intention.

Better Ingredients Make Better Food

Local sourcing isn’t a buzzword here. It’s a difference you can taste.

Shorter supply chains mean:

• Produce harvested closer to ripeness

• Proteins raised with greater accountability

• Fewer preservatives and less processing

• Menus that change with the seasons instead of the catalog

Great chefs can cook with anything. But when given better ingredients, they can do something extraordinary. This site exists to help diners find those kitchens and help those kitchens get found.

Supporting Local Communities

When restaurants source locally, money circulates closer to home.

It supports:

• Farmers and producers who steward land and animals

• Independent distributors and food hubs

• Restaurant workers and small business owners

• Regional food cultures that reflect place, not trend cycles

Every locally sourced meal reinforces a network of people who depend on one another. That network is fragile, and it’s worth protecting.

Centering Chefs and Craft

Chefs are not just menu designers. They’re connectors.

They bridge farms and tables. Seasons and cities. Tradition and experimentation. When chefs are locked into rigid supply systems, that creativity narrows. When they’re free to source locally, their cooking tells a story about where they are and who they’re feeding.

This platform exists to honor that craft and give those stories a place to live.

Transparency Over Perfection

We know sourcing isn’t binary. Many restaurants are doing their best within real constraints. That’s why we focus on transparency, not purity tests.

Our goal is to give diners clearer information and give restaurants credit for making thoughtful choices. We believe informed eaters create better food systems.

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t just a directory. It’s a signal.

A signal that people care where their food comes from.
A signal that flavor and quality still matter.
A signal that local food isn’t niche, it’s necessary.

We built this to make the invisible visible. To connect diners with restaurants that are choosing community over convenience and quality over sameness.

Because food should taste like where you are.
And the future of food should belong to many, not just a few.