Farm Spirit has earned a loyal following at Tower Grove Farmers Market in recent years, thanks to its signature double-patty smash burger. Now, fans won't have to wait until Saturdays to enjoy it: Farm Spirit has opened inside Blue Jay Brewing Co., bringing its iconic smash burger and an assortment of seasonal menu options to Midtown’s newest brewery.
The move marks the first brick-and-mortar location for Farm Spirit, a long time coming from husband-and-wife duo Ryan McDonald and Ashley Batiste, who have both worked in the local hospitality industry for years. McDonald will lead the fast-casual operation, supported by a standout team of industry veterans well-known in the field: Jonathan Lorentzen will manage day-to-day operations, with Matt Duffin and Luke Cockson helping steer the operation on all levels. “We’ve been looking at spaces for the past year and a half, so this is a perfect middle of the road for us,” McDonald says, noting that opening up inside Blue Jay gives Farm Spirit a more concrete way to test the concept.
“People are always asking us, ‘Hey, where are you located? Where’s your brick and mortar?’ So it’ll be really cool to tell them where we’re located the rest of the week.” Market fans needn’t worry — Farm Spirit plans to continue Tower Grove market stall operations on Saturday mornings. Batiste is looking forward to incorporating their market crowd into the Blue Jay crowd.
“I want to be able to bring more of our market people, w.