In early 2023, one expert predicted that the restaurant industry was headed for a 15% reduction, meaning the elimination of 100,000 restaurant sites.
While some entrepreneurs may have used that forecast to stay away from the restaurant industry, Clayton Mooney (’12) and his business partner, Danen Pool, leaned into it.
“A lot of those restaurants are restaurants with dine-in space that no one wants to go to anymore,” Mooney says. “We asked ourselves, ‘Can we take over a vacant restaurant, convert the dine-in space to a farm, and then serve the world’s freshest salads to the drive-thru?’”
The answer so far, is yes. Set in a former Fazoli’s in Ames, Iowa, Clayton Farms Salads launched in March 2023 and has served more than 40,000 salads and smoothies. In what was once a dining area for the fast casual Italian restaurant now stands rows and rows of hydroponic gardening equipment growing romaine, arugula, butter lettuce, oakleaf lettuce, and a variety of microgreens.
The origin of Clayton Farms dates back to 2017, when Mooney and Pool first started their company, focusing on hydroponic equipment, and then the software that runs that equipment.
“For the first few years, we really fine-tuned the technology piece, and then we started applying it to various business models,” he says. “One business model we started was a subscription box farm where we would harvest from our farm and deliver produce straight to a residence’s doorstep.”
Another business model is the drive-thru. The company continues to evolve, but the mission at the core of the founders’ efforts remains the same.
“Since day one, it’s been about providing people with the food they deserve,” says Mooney, who grew up in a small farming community in southeast Iowa.
“Something that I think is broken on the supply chain side for food is when you have a community that is smaller, a lot of times here in Iowa, rural — what is the access to food? Maybe it’s a McDonald’s, maybe the community’s too small for a Walmart, so there’s a Dollar General. If that’s your only option, the convenience side is going to drive people to those locations,” he says. “I’m a firm believer in what you eat is your death sentence, and I live and breathe that every day. That may sound intense, but because of that, you have to provide accessibility to the healthy foods that matter.”
In addition to the ease of access, Mooney is also concerned with the time between harvest and consumption (once fresh produce is picked, nutrients begin to deplete in the days that follow) and the sourcing of additional ingredients found on his menu (local partners supply tofu, honey, and berries).
“By growing on-site and having the same day harvest and serving from our farm to the drive-thru window, you get the full nutritional benefit,” Mooney says. “And with that, you also get the full flavor profile, which is really important.”
As Mooney eyes the future of Clayton Farms Salads — expansion through owned and franchised locations in communities across the nation — he also reflects on the past opportunities he had at Iowa State. Mooney says he has utilized Iowa State resources for the past decade including through the ISU Startup Factory as well as donor-supported CYStarters, and the Start Something College of Agriculture and Life Sciences program.
Connections he made through those programs have remained strong over the years, both in helping to support the restaurant’s day-to-day operations (seven employees are past CYStarters, and half a dozen are either ISU alumni or current students) and providing advice in the startup space.
“I’m a firm believer that your network is your net worth,” he says. “And looking at Iowa State alumni and the faculty on campus, there’s most likely someone who can help you with whatever roadblocks or hurdles you’re coming across. You just have to not be afraid to ask the questions.
“We consider ourselves very lucky and blessed that Iowa State is in our backyard from what we consider our national office.”
