Multimedia Reporting (Bradford-Utsler)

At first glance Local Burger looks like your average, kitschy burger joint. A bright, primary colored patchwork tile floor and natural wooden tables create a sort of retro diner ambiance. Brightly colored art hangs on the wall and a steady stream of indie music pumps from the stereo system. At first glance, the restaurant seems like just another trendy college town hangout.

Take a second glance and instead of the retro decorations you might notice the organic condiments placed on each table, or the trio of metal trashcans in the corner that hold recycling instead of actual trash. Scan the menu and you’d come across a long list of fresh meats, fruits and vegetables all cooked in organic and all-natural oils. Instead of french fries and grease-drenched burgers, the restaurant offers cinnamon applesauce, vegetable pilaf, hummus, Yukon potatoes and gluten free salads.

Local Burger is more than just a restaurant; it is a movement towards better health and a better world. Owner Hilary Brown opened the restaurant in September of 2005 to cater towards more health conscious and food conscious consumers.

“I wanted to make food accessible to people that wasn’t very pretentious and didn’t contain any chemicals,” Brown said. “We get our meats and produce, when in season, from local farmers and we use organic coconut oils to cook everything.”

Brown is just one of many business owners in Lawrence who is waking up to a growing demand in health and organic foods. Restaurants and grocery stores alike are recognizing the need for healthier foods and are implementing new menus or are opening up new departments to compensate. Many of these businesses are also using ingredients from local farmers and growers to make the local economy, as well as their customers, healthier.

Brown uses as many food products from local farmers and growers as she can. Brown believes this creates both a healthier economy and healthier customers who benefit from the freshness. She also believes in being good for the environment too, Local Burger produces no trash, all waste is recycled right down to the coconut oil that is used make bio diesel fuel.

Local Burger takes their natural practices all the way down to their condiments, in using oragnic ketchup and mustard.

The Mercantile grocery store on Iowa Street, also seeks to support the local economy and the local environment with offering foods from local farms.

“The local market is about sustainability so we try to use local producers whenever we can because it helps our economy and doesn’t have to be shipped, so it helps the environment,” David Smith, Mercantile employee, said.

Because of their healthier practices, these businesses are noticing growth. Ty Haas, Assistant Manager of General Merchandise at the Hy-Vee grocery store on Clinton Parkway, said the store has experienced a 150 percent increase in business since the health food department was opened in the store a year ago.

“We are selling $2,000 to $3,000 a month in health food and related products,” Haas said.

While Hy-Vee has a health food department, the Mercantile is an entire store devoted to health and organic food products. Smith, said the store offers 125 different organic items and has experienced so much growth that the store had to move to its fourth and largest location in June of 2001.

“We really are noticing the demand for natural or organic foods,” Smith said. “Right now this is the only segment of the grocery industry that is growing, because people are more concerned about eating healthy.”

Businesses like the Mercantile, Hy-Vee and Local Burger are carving out a place in a largely niche market defined by ingredients and growing techniques. The Food and Drug Association has specific criteria for what can be labeled as “certified organic.” According to the California Certified Organic Farmers Web site, organic products must be grown according to standards set by the National Organic Program. The products must have no history of any conventional pesticides or chemicals and must be free of genetically modified organisms. Smith said organic differs from all natural in the fact that all-natural foods are not labeled or certified by the FDA like certified organic products are.

Six years ago, the University of Kansas first implemented the use of some all-natural foods. In the fall of 2000 the Better Bites program was developed at the University. The program endorses certain foods sold at university dining centers: both the Burge and Kansas Unions, the Underground at Wescoe and at Hawk Stop convenience stores around campus.

The Better Bites seal of approval is placed on items with fewer calories, fat, sodium and oils. Items made with lean meats, low fat cheeses and fresh seasonings also carry the seal of approval to help direct students in purchasing healthier food options. Though the demand for better foods is high, Ann Chapman, Coordinator of Nutrition Services at Watkins Health Center, said the program wasn’t an easy undertaking.

“More work is involved in getting the foods out there, it is more labor intensive,” Chapman said. “We have to do a nutritional analysis of every Better Bite product and we have to train cooks to cook those foods differently.”

Brown said the emphasis on fresh and healthier can also mean higher prices. She said Local Burger is not a restaurant to get cheap fast food. The restaurant weathered a small dip in business its second month out as it struggled to keep customers coming back once they got over the novelty of a healthy, organic restaurant.

Brown said she will be installing a soda fountain after realizing stagnant sales in the all-natural bottled juices and sodas the restaurant was offering.

“The markup is slim on this merchandise,” Brown said. “We only make about a quarter on the specialty sodas, so we will be getting fountain drinks to make more money to stay in business.”

Brown said Local Burger is currently searching for new ways to reach and cater to all customers, not just those interested in organic or all-natural foods. Both Smith and Haas said they look forward to continued increases in the health food business. All three said they view the industry as having staying power.

“People are always interested in healthier foods,” Haas said. “In the past it was just not on the more mainstream level like it is now. This has been something that’s been growing for awhile.”

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Click here to see Local Burger owner Hilary Brown discuss the business' emphasis on natural foods.