Restaurateur and chef JP McMahon (pictured on right) aims to give fast food a better name in terms of health with the first branch of 'Farmer' restaurant, which he hopes to open with €100,000 of help from crowdfunding site Kickstarter.

McMahon has ambitions to eventually expand to ten locations, each sporting a menu of takeaway staples such as burgers and chips that use unprocessed ingredients. “We want to create a food that is modeled on fast food but produced in keeping with a strict philosophy of care and consideration towards the welfare of the land and the animal," he said.

"We believe it is possible to produce a low-cost food that is wholesome and organic and that can compete with the equivalent food product now offered on menus by fast foods chains across Ireland.”

McMahon aspires to work with farmers all over Ireland to source every aspect of production in order to produce a wholesome fast food. “We need to source the best ingredients in Ireland and make them available to everyone at every level. Good food should not be seen as an elitist commodity available to a chosen few but available to everyone whatever their budget. Why can’t we have burgers made with good quality meat and chips made using organic potatoes?”

McMahon was partly inspired by LA Chef Daniel Patterson, who spoke at the inaugural Food on the Edge symposium in Galway recently. Patterson has set up a number of healthy fast food restaurants for people living in the deprived areas of LA and San Francisco. The chains plan to train young kids as chefs so they can earn a living at higher paying restaurants.

In Association with

McMahon sees Ireland as producing a new generation of farmers who pay greater attention to the welfare of the animal and the sustainability of their product.

Sustainable Food

Poultry farmer and owner of The Friendly Farmer Ronan Byrne (pictured, left) said: “The food industry needs to work with this generation of farmers in order to ensure people recognise the value of their work. There is no greater challenge today than to produce really high quality sustainable food at low prices as a healthy takeaway option and that’s why I really believe in JP’s vision to make good food available to everyone.”

McMahon added: “Working with farmers, we can make a change that affects the whole food island of Ireland. We can make Ireland a model for the fast food food culture of the world.

"I chose the crowd funding company Kickstarter because unlike other crowdfunding companies its ethos is firmly built around creativity. Every artist, filmmaker, designer, chef and creator on Kickstarter has complete creative control over their work — and the opportunity to share it with a vibrant community of backers so it instinctively feels right for me to choose this platform.”