I wish I could go to Washington, D.C. I’d like to visit one of my brothers who lives in the area, and I would like to spend a day touring one of the Smithsonian Museums, see the Vietnam Memorial Wall, and maybe tour President Washington’s and Jefferson’s farms.

And I’d like to eat at a couple of the farmer-owned North Dakota Farmers Union restaurants.

There are now seven Founding Farmers restaurants in the Beltway and Philadelphia areas. A new one just opened in Reston, Va. It is located at Reston Station on Washington, D.C.’s Metro subway line.

“Besides great food and atmosphere, our restaurants reflect the tremendous support consumers feel for family farmers and ranchers. It’s an amazing story all of its own," says Mark Watne, NDFU president, in a statement released announcing the grand opening of the Reston restaurant.

Like the other Founding Farmers restaurants, the newest storefront will feature made-from-scratch comfort food served at affordable prices, with ingredients sourced from American family farms and ranches. Collectively, the restaurants serve more than 45,000 diners a week.

The group’s flagship restaurant near the White House remains the most-booked restaurant in the country on opentable.com, now five years running.

Watne says the concept of a farmer-owned restaurant started at NDFU with the idea that farmers could secure a greater share of the U.S. food dollar by taking advantage of opportunities at the top of the production food chain rather than the bottom.

“Our goal is to serve 100% U.S. family farm-sourced food in our restaurants,” says Watne, “and to return greater profits to the families who grow our food.” 

If you make it to Washington, D.C. before me, eat at a Founding Farmer restaurant and let me know how you liked it. I’d appreciate a hometown review.

Been to a Founding Farmers restaurant? Tell us about it by emailing: [email protected].