The CEO Series: Jonathan Recanati, Farmer J
How did you come to be a CEO, Jonathan?
Before Farmer J, I was an analyst at Deutsche Bank, where I used to work long hours, eating three meals a day at my desk. But I always wanted to set up my own business – I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, and I felt like being at an investment bank didn’t suit me. It suits me more to do something I believe in, and I've always loved food – every memory of my life is related to food. That’s the combination of things that explains why I'm the CEO of Farmer J today.
Tell us about some of those food memories…
I was maybe 13 years old on a boat in Norway. My family went scuba diving, but I couldn't go because I had asthma at the time. I stayed on board, fished with the skipper, and we got this cod. He prepared it right there and then for me, as fresh as it could be. Just a bit of salt and pepper. I was mesmerised by the quality. It was the most basic recipe, but I loved the idea of something so fresh and authentic. I also remember the first time I went to Italy with my family. We rented a small house in Tuscany, and the chef there was making fresh pasta. It was the first time I had freshly made pasta with fresh tomato sauce and herbs from the garden. Just pure joy.
What gives Farmer J its edge?
We don't settle. We always want to push the boundaries and to improve. The business has been going for ten years and we don't stop thinking about how we can do things better. I don't know how many other businesses think like that. Of course, we think about profit too, but it's always a balance. Sometimes we prioritise customer experience because without that profit is not going to last.
How do you measure success in the business?
First, it needs to be financial. You must be hitting your KPIs because that's the measure of any business. But success also needs to look at trends overall – your customer satisfaction, your employee satisfaction and your employee engagement. If people are developing within the company, it's a good sign. There are quite a few people that have worked with us and gone on to do something else on their own. It's good to see that they're thriving because it means they had big ambitions, and it's good to hire people with big ambitions.
What was the biggest challenge in the beginning?
When we opened, no one knew who we were. We had no brand, and there’s no rulebook for this. At this point it was about knowing what to invest in to create the brand and to make sure customers come back. But you don’t have any economies of scale, so the cost of goods is much higher for the business. We weren’t hitting the margins, so we had to have faith: invest in the product and in growth; and, as you grow, improve your margin. That’s the tough part in building any business, but especially in the food industry. Before I opened, people told me, don't do it.
What are the current challenges?
Now the challenges are more around people management. As you get bigger, every decision has more weight. Strategy becomes a much bigger question. You have to think, okay, if we get to 30 restaurants in London, what do we do afterwards? Open one in New York? The decision to open internationally was a mega decision, and I have had to rely much more on my team than ever, so it's about building a structure that works. Everything must also still support the original idea. When we develop new dishes now, instead of launching in one restaurant, we need to launch it in 17 or 18 restaurants. This means being more professional, whereas before you had a bit more freedom because it was just one restaurant.
How have you integrated AI?
Like everyone, we’re using it, but there's still a lot more we can do with it. We use AI for reports, decks and for analysing numbers. In an ideal world, AI would tell us everything we need to know, but it's also important to know that AI is not the answer. It's a tool, and it's not going to tell you what to do. It will help you do something more efficiently or quicker, but it's not going to tell you what to do. That's why I think people should be careful with it.
What’s the most unconventional thing Farmer J does as a business?
We do a lot for a fast, casual restaurant – probably that's the most unconventional thing we do. We put a lot of thought and effort into every dish. We've been developing a new chicken marinara for a year now, obsessing over which chillies and spices go inside. I think that's pretty unconventional.
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Do you try the new recipes?
Of course, that's part of the journey. You have to try everything. You need to make sure the bar is always pushed and give your honest opinion. If something's not good enough, then let's try and improve it. The worst thing to say is, ‘The customers won't notice.’ If you notice it, they will.
What are the key traits of being a good leader?
It's knowing how to find the balance between encouraging your team and pushing them. They need to know that you have high standards and you expect them to deliver, but at the same time, you need to be a coach, a motivator and an optimist. Sometimes it's hard to find the balance, but that's the essence of leadership. Give recognition when recognition is deserved – that's super important – and know how to bring people together. That becomes harder when a business grows. People want to feel part of something that's growing, but the bigger you grow, it's harder to make them feel part of it. When you're a small company, you see everyone all the time and you feel more like a tight group. But as you grow, people are travelling more. Suddenly structure comes into play – the ability to put more systems in place but never lose the human touch. In terms of leadership, be that person that they can look up to and see that you're working hard, that you believe in something, that you're sacrificing, but at the same time you're enjoying it. People want to see that you also enjoy what you do. It's not all about hard work – otherwise, what's the point? Make sure that enjoyment is contagious, and that you always have a vision and can express that vision to everyone.
And one final piece of advice for someone wanting to set up their own business?
Go for it. Be willing to go on a journey. If you do it properly, go full in. That's the best chance to give it to succeed. And when you set up, you need confidence – because no one has the answers. Do your research, take advice, but always remember that you know best.
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