Farow restaurant in Niwot transforms to survive: Shifts from fine dining to more affordable neighborhood spot

The restaurant Farow in Niwot, which launched in 2021 and has earned a reputation for high-quality, locally sourced food, is pivoting to stay in business amid conditions that have challenged many Boulder County restaurants.

Farow has shifted from a fine dining, dinner-only restaurant to an approachable farm-to-table neighborhood spot that now offers one menu for both lunch and dinner at lower prices. After learning that the popular restaurant 1914 House in Niwot was closing after eight years, citing “unsustainable” business economics, and facing their own supply chain issues, inflation and labor cost increases, owner Lisa Balcom decided it made sense to lean into something more financially sustainable.

“Disposable income has definitely been impacted with inflation,” Balcom told Boulder Reporting Lab.

“There’s just a lot stacked against us right now, and especially in the fine dining sector. I think people still really want to go out and they still want to have a nice experience,” she added. “But there’s probably a limit to how much of that they’re going to do. So our idea is to try and reel this back a little bit.”

Farow’s new menu is divided into “snacks,” “light bites” and “larger bites,” along with “sweets,” with items ranging from $6 to $31. Balcom said the larger bite entrees will generally be priced between $12 and $30.

“We’ll still stick to the really high-quality things that we’re doing,” she said, “still sourcing local, still doing creative plates, but finding a way to make it a little more of like a neighborhood spot where you can manage to go out a few times instead of maybe just once.”

With a rotating list of Boulder County restaurant openings and closings since Covid, including several high-profile closures in downtown Boulder like Ash K’ara and Masas & Agave, adaptation and differentiation are key to survival. Finding ways to connect with like-minded diners and encourage repeat customers is the goal.

Balcom, a pastry chef, slow food advocate and self-described beverage nerd, opened Farow in September 2021 with her husband Patrick, who is the head chef. They both attended the Charlotte, North Carolina, campus of Johnson & Wales, the culinary university, and met working at a hotel in Charlotte. The couple recently spun off Pie Dog Pizza from being a ghost kitchen in the back of Farow to a stand in Longmont’s new Parkway Food Hall. The food hall, which opened in May, also houses their new Japanese concept, Baa Hachi.

The couple focuses on fresh ingredients in all of their restaurants. At Farow, Balcom said most ingredients are sourced locally, grown using a mix of organic and regenerative farming methods. This means they have to change menus with the seasons and availability from local farmers. She expects menus at Farow to adjust every four weeks or so, while having some items available consistently, like olives, oysters, fries, breads, a burger and steak frites. The vegetables, fruits, greens and other proteins are offered in-season.

The team didn’t want to do a full rebrand since they’ve garnered a good reputation over the last three years, but Lisa said they added a fresh coat of paint and new light fixtures to make the place cozy. Patrick stripped and sanded tables for the relaunch on July 7, giving them a fresh look. It is inviting and quiet enough for business lunches and social conversations. Lisa talked about her own noise and light sensitivity, so she pays attention to these details to deliver an atmosphere where customers can enjoy their handcrafted cocktails and food.

Another change to the Balcoms’ business plan was adding a retail wine shop to Farow. They removed the tall tabletops near the bar and put in four racks of wine, spirits and mixers. The wines are biodynamic and organic from around the world, while some spirits and mixers are made in Colorado. Balcom said they’re able to offer some bottles at better prices than local stores, but she’s also offering wines that the nearby shops don’t carry, both to be a good neighbor and to have something unique for customers.

In this price-sensitive time, Farow has removed the previous service fees that balanced wages for the front and back of house and has returned to a traditional tipping model. The industry-wide conversations around fair compensation, regulations and consumer sentiment will be an ongoing issue that restaurants with thin margins are paying attention to. Because the restaurant is in unincorporated Boulder County, the minimum wage will be $25 an hour by 2030, and there are 15% increases each year to get to that rate.

Farow has offered a weekly Wednesday family-style dinner and monthly cocktail class for years that will continue, plus new educational programs. Starting in August, the Balcoms are adding wine, whiskey and tequila clubs and looking at the feasibility of a pantry club or retail gift boxes. Chefs will curate pantry items so members can recreate the Farow food and beverage experiences at home.

“We’ll have some spices, some of the things that we use here that are organic, single origin, single estate, and very fun, interesting things,” Balcom explained. “We have a vinegar company that we work with that either forges or sources all of it on his property and then ferments it, like butternut squash, ramp, wild rose, mulberry, and ginger, all of these really cool, beautiful, crazy vinegars.”

Despite these changes, creativity and sustainability for survival in the restaurant business is ongoing. “Everybody’s just feeling the squeeze in every direction right now,” said Balcom. “I love what we do. We just want to make good food and good drinks [and] to form our art for people that love it.”