Joe's Farm Grill

3/31/12

Recently received from a customer:

I love the food here. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Unfortunately every time I come there is only 1 order window with a long line. My last visit was a Friday evening at 6:30 and we waited in line for an hour with only 1 order window open. Food is great but would love faster service!!

LB

Dear LB,

Thanks for your feedback, shared by so many of our customers. First let me say that I most definitely feel your pain. I hate to wait in line – at the bank, at Walmart, in traffic…anywhere! And, as the owner/operator of Joe’ Farm Grill, I can assure you there is no one on the planet who would more like that line to move faster. Faster line equals more (and happier) customers which equals more $, etc.

Think about this with me. When I wait in line at the bank and only one teller is open, I feel just like you do. It is obvious that the more teller windows open the faster my service would be. Two tellers would cut my wait time in half, three would cut it by 3x, etc., and I am exactly correct in my assumption. This is because when I am done with my teller (or cashier at Walmart) I am totally done with my transaction. I have my deposit receipt or my groceries and I am one my way. There is nothing left to do.

This is not the case at JFG, or at any restaurant for that matter. When we finish taking your order our work has just begun. We have to season and grill your burger, butter and grill the bun, fry the onion rings (already hand-cut and breaded, of course), assemble and dress the salad with all it’s toppings, build the pizza with it’s layers of ingredients and grill it, and spin the fresh strawberry milkshake. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, all cooked fresh to order… you get the point. We must manufacture each product you’ve ordered. This is the great difference between our business and the bank or retail store.

And LB, here’s the bottom line. Our speed of service is limited, not by how many cash registers or windows we have open, but by our ability to cook only so much delicious food in so much space in so much time. Our staff currently is able to cook and serve between 130 and 150 meals per hour, or one meal every 25 seconds or so. When you look inside and watch the activity, we are working on about 35-40 meals at a time. And for every order that is being taken at the window, an order is being picked up at the opposite window. Our employees, managers, and equipment are being pushed to their limits whenever you see that line form. And no one is complaining, just working hard to see that your food is always special and served as quickly as possible. Everyone takes a lot of pride in this.

But, still, why only one cash register? Because about 85% of the time the orders generated by one continuous cash register fill up our production ability (we do utilize two cash registers together about 15% of the time). When we try to maximize the order- taking input by constantly opening two windows, we can, of course, shorten your time waiting to order, but this doesn’t do anything to shorten the time It takes to prepare your food. More windows equals more orders in but not more orders out. So to shorten your wait in line to order is to lengthen your wait for your food. We’ve learned from experience that this actually slows down our kitchen, compromises our food quality, and creates more competition for seating amongst guests – twice as many who are now waiting twice as long for their food after they’ve ordered it.

LB, here’s my commitment to you and to all of our guests. One, we won’t cut corners or compromise our passion to serve only the best food we know how. Two, we will never stop trying to improve our systems and training so that we can use two windows more often and prepare more meals per hour, thus speeding up our service.

In the mean time, please continue to enjoy the park- like setting, the unique trees and architectural details, smell the citrus blossoms, and use the time in line to catch up with your dining companions or even strike up a conversation with a fellow line- waiter. “Can you believe that so many of us are waiting in line…for a burger? It sure better be good!”

We all will be doing our best to make sure it is.

Best regards and sincere appreciation for your patience and support,

Tim Peelen
Co-owner

10/19/2011

In keeping with our tradition it’s a pleasure to announce our fifth annual Customer Appreciation Day. This year we will serve a free meal on Wednesday, November 2nd.

Here’s the deal…

1. The menu – Farm burger with cheddar cheese, french fries, beverage, and all the fixings, including our homemade pickles. Absolutely Free!
2. Serving 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. only. Must be in line prior to 3 p.m. to be served. The restaurant will close for the remainder of the day and night at 3 p.m.
3. One meal per guest. Each guest must be in line to personally receive his or her own meal. This is strictly enforced even though it causes people “gas” every year. Please plan accordingly. (The person waiting in the car, or saving a table, or ill at home, is just not going to get a meal from you.) Sorry, but there is no other way.
4. Young children (under 6 or so), especially those in strollers, will be served a half burger. This is still a perfectly suitable meal and we thank you for understanding.
5. We can take no phone orders, to go orders, or any special requests. The one exception is we will be happy to make your burger with no cheese.

The reason we stay closed for the evening is so we can appreciate our employees by taking them out for a special dinner.

From all of us at Joe’s Farm Grill, we hope you will hear our “We appreciate your business”, and taste our appreciation as well.

10/10/11
Burger for $5

That’s right, it’s our 5th anniversary and to celebrate we are selling our delicious Farm Burger, Farm Chicken Sandwich, and BBQ Pork Sandwich for just 5 bucks. Well we aren’t crazy, it’s just for the next 5 days. So pack up the fam and come and see us. It’s going to be a beautiful week, so enjoy our abundant outdoor seating, maybe even bring a picnic blanket!

08/29/2011
Hot Dog Days of Summer

It’s September already… the kids are long back in school, football is back in full gear, and our baseball team is playing just to be done with the season. It must be fall – you know – autumn!

Well, not in Arizona. We know better. There’s at least a month, probably more, left of full-time summer heat. We call these the “dog days” of summer. And here at Joe’s Farm Grill we know of no better way to get through the dog days than with the all-American, quintessential summertime food – the hot dog. And not just any hot dogs, but some incredibly creative, uber-delicious dogs you won’t find anywhere else. Do tell.

First, the hot dog itself: all-beef, natural casing franks from one of our favorite producers, Farmland Foods. Clean, beefy taste, no fillers, just the right amount of savory spiciness, and that distinctive “snap” of a natural-casing dog, especially when grilled on the broiler. We’ve tasted all the top brands, from the “famous” to the “higher authority” and everything in between, and we sincerely believe that these are top tier, second to none.

The bun: baked fresh for us daily, we hand-slice each from top to bottom so that we have two sides to butter and grill for each hot dog. Nice touch.

The toppings: in addition to our regular and chili-cheese dogs, we are featuring 10 specialty hot dogs for the entire month of September. They range from the “huh, what?” sounding garlic mashed potatoes and lingonberries (fantastic), to the quirky Cheez Whiz, crumbled Ruffles potato chips, mustard and onions (“why haven’t I thought of this?”), to the over-the-top ham, Swiss, fried egg, Dijon aioli (a big bite of hot dog heaven). Each hot dog is time-tested (our customer’s favorites from last year’s Dog Days) and certified delicious!

So, get your hotdog-lovin’ self in to Joe’s Farm Grill and try one of these dogs. Wait, don’t try just one, but save some $$ by doubling up and ordering two; mix-and-match at your pleasure. Let us know here about your favorites, as well as any ideas you might have for creating a new hot dog sensation.

Have a cool and delicious rest of the summer!

05/05/2011

… to ABC 15, 11a.m. to noon, Friday, May 13th (our lucky day?), as Joe represents the Farm Grill on Sonoran Living’s 2011 Burger Challenge. On this live-aired show, he’ll be cooking up one of our famous burgers in all its glory. Make sure to watch carefully so that you can correctly answer a question and win your own free burger (check back on this blog/wall on Saturday, May 14 for details).

Speaking of free burgers… I just got done doing my little part in helping Joe’s Real BBQ serve 5,696 free meals yesterday from 11 a.m. to 8:40 p.m. (I count the plates . Wow, I Know!). Here at the Farm Grill, we will celebrate our own Customer Appreciation Day on Wednesday, November 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We’ll serve up our grilled -to -order Farm Burgers w/ cheddar, French Fries, condiments (including our homemade pickles) and a drink. Those of you who are uber organized can load that into your calendars right away

No reservations for Mother’s Day? Treat her to her favorites at Joe’s Farm Grill, serving breakfast (8 a.m. to 11) and lunch and dinner till 9 p.m. Come later in the evening and miss some of the line – and enjoy a picnic -in -the -park dinner with the sunset and lights under the trees.

February 9, 2011

It fills up the entire plate…. a full- pound patty of all-natural ground chuck, seasoned and grilled up ‘til perfectly juicy. It takes four slices of cheese (a quarter pound), one each of Cheddar, Swiss, Fontina, and American, to cover in melty gooeyness, and a very special two-handed sesame bun to support this over-the-top, best ever cheeseburger. But wait, there’s more! Add 2 side dishes, maybe our famous fries and cole slaw, a homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Cup and Agritopia-grown fresh lettuce, homemade pickles, and toppings, and you’ve got our “Cheeseburger Built for Two.”

Sweetheart Combo for two: Cheeseburger, 2 sides, homemade Strawberry Cheesecake Cup $18

Cheeseburger and Fries only $14

Enjoy for a very limited time: Friday, Feb. 11 through Valentines Day, Monday, Feb. 14.

12/16/10

Joe’s Farm Grill will close at 3 p.m. Christmas Eve (Friday, 12/24) and be closed all Christmas day (Saturday) so that we can all be with our families to celebrate our Savior’s birth. We will re-open regular hours on Sunday and maintain our regular schedule of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. through New Year’s Day and beyond.

My favorite way to enjoy Candy Canes has always been to eat them ground up in Peppermint Stick ice cream. My new favorite way is to enjoy them in our Peppermint Stick milkshake. It took us a couple years to figure out the ideal process to pull it off, but I think we did. Make sure to bring holiday guests out to the Farm for a burger, rings, and a shake. The best of Arizona, all in one place. Merry Christmas!

11/01/2010
FREE CHEESEBURGERS !

Wednesday, November 3 we celebrate our fourth annual Customer Appreciation Day, and say “thanks” with a Farm Burger w/ cheddar cheese, fries, toppings and condiments, and soda or bottled water – all for Free!

Service starts at 10 a.m. this year (1 hour earlier than in the past) and ends at 3 p.m. (sorry, no dinner service this year – we’re taking our employees out to let them know how much we appreciate them as well!). Assuming supplies last, we will serve everyone who is in line at 3 p.m.

We do have a few simple rules that help us serve the most customers in the fastest possible time:

1. One meal per person; each person must physically be present to receive a meal.
2. Young children will be served half a burger and the regular amount of all else.
3. No special packaging is available to “take home”, though everything is packaged in disposable ware.

Also, please note: we will not be open for breakfast or lunch on this day.

Hope to see you there!

10/01/10
Four Years, the Great Outdoors, and Banana Pudding

October is going to be one great month around the Farm Grill. On 10/10/10 we celebrate our 4-year anniversary. We’ll honor those eight original employees who have played such an indispensible role in the growth and success of our restaurant. Wednesday, November 3 will be our 3rd annual Free Lunch/Customer Appreciation Day, where we say “thank you” to our customers with free food.

October is also one of the nicest outdoor dining months of the year (not too hot for lunch, not too cool for dinner, perfect in every way for breakfast) so that means Joe’s Farm Grill should be at the top of everyone’s list. The lovely trees and picnic tables (and awesome food!) await.

“Common food done uncommonly well,” describes our newest comfort dessert creation – Banana Pudding. Available in three versions: Traditional with a Nilla Vanilla Wafer crust, Choco-Banana with an Oreo crust, and Peanut-Butter Banana with a Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Cookie crust. Sorry, but nothing even close to common about this best-ever pudding. You gotta try it.

10/01/10
Top Dogs!

The (Hot) Dog Days of Summer are over, but not forgotten. During the month of September our guests devoured thousands of what they say are the most delicious dogs they’ve ever tasted, and the big question around here lately has been, “What do we do next?”

Last year, regrettably, we just caught our breath and waited 11 months to do it all over again. Not this year. Some of these hot dogs are just too good to go into hibernation for any period of time. So… we’ve decided to give a more permanent menu life to our top two best sellers – the Top Dogs, if you will – the Sonoran Dog and the Carolina Dog.

So, if you haven’t had a chance yet to try them, by all means please do. And as always, let us know what you think.