Following eight months of renovations, Naked Farmer will reopen its original restaurant location in St. Petersburg on Friday. For founder and CEO Jordan Johnson, it\u2019s a \u201cfull-circle moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
The brand has establishments all around Florida and a restaurant in North Carolina. Johnson plans to expand the concept to Nashville later this year. In 2020, the first venture opened at 200 Central Ave.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started Naked Farmer after reading a book called \u2018Food Fix\u2019by Mark Hyman, who is a functional medicineNew York Times bestselling author,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe whole premise of the book is how eating food from local farms is better for the planet, better for our bodies and better for the economy, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
That led him to create a concept that revolved around agriculture, chefs and community. Seasonal items are key to the experience. Everything is fresh and cooked from scratch.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea was simple \u2014 take fine dining culinary techniques and apply them to the convenience of fast casual, and build a better food system by sourcing food from farms close to home,” he said.<\/p>\n
It took off.<\/p>\n
The initial St. Pete restaurant led to locations in Tampa, Coral Gables, Sunrise, Miami, Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale. In 2025, the company moved its headquarters<\/a> to the Thousand & One office tower in the Water Street Tampa neighborhood.<\/p>\n Renovating the downtown space was a way to reinvest in the \u201cproving ground for everything the brand has become,\u201d Johnson said. Additionally, the company plans to open another St. Petersburg restaurant on Fourth Street this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cSt. Pete is a food-curious city with people who genuinely support local businesses,\u201d he added. \u201cThat kind of community is exactly what a concept like Naked Farmer needed to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n The over $1.5 million project was extensive. Johnson and his team even installed a new plumbing system below the concrete floor.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing that was in the location before \u2014 not a single piece of tile or kitchen equipment \u2014 will be returning,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will be a completely new location.\u201d<\/p>\n The restaurant\u2019s size has also increased. Johnson said the landlord offered more space for the renovation, allowing the team to build out a larger kitchen to accommodate the \u201cdemand.\u201d<\/p>\n It will have an aesthetic design that is similar to newer locations. Additionally, the establishment will feature natural finishes and colors to reflect Naked Farmer\u2019s focus on the Earth.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to bring our very best,\u201d he said. \u201cRedesigning the restaurant up to today\u2019s standards with all the learnings taken from the last six years was something that needed to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n The effort was initially scheduled to be completed at the end of 2025. Permitting challenges delayed the process, Johnson added.<\/p>\n For more information, visit eatnakedfarmer.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n