50%
year over year DoorDash sales growth (Q1 2024 vs. Q1 2025)
$150K
sales driven from Sponsored Listings since launching in August 2024
21X
return on ad spend (ROAS) for an ongoing Spend $X Get $Y promotion
Meet Farmhouse Kitchen
From pad thai to pumpkin fries, San Francisco-based Farmhouse Kitchen is known for its delectable Northern Thai dishes and vibrant atmosphere across its seven locations. But before Chef and Co-Founder Kasem "Pop" Saengsawang was at the helm of the successful Thai restaurant, he had dreams of becoming a software engineer.
Saengsawang moved from Thailand to the Bay Area to pursue a computer science degree. But while working in kitchens to pay his way through school, he realized that his future was in cuisine, not coding. In his first foray as a restaurateur, Saengsawang opened Kitchen Story, a Bay Area brunch favorite. After years of serving up pancakes and Bloody Marys, Saengsawang decided to sell the business to work on a new concept: Farmhouse Kitchen.
"After four years of brunch, we wanted to do something different — something that was meaningful to us. So we ended up creating Farmhouse Kitchen to honor my grandparents."
Since its launch in San Francisco in 2015, Farmhouse Kitchen has expanded to seven locations across California and Oregon. And with countless awards since its opening, plus a 2025 win for Saengsawang on Food Network's Chopped — Farmhouse Kitchen's future is bright and packed with flavor.
Curry and community
When Farmhouse Kitchen initially joined DoorDash, the team's main focus was still on the dine-in experience. Saengsawang's goal was to keep the restaurant's pickup and delivery orders under 10% of its sales. But like so many other restaurants, once the COVID-19 crisis began, Saengsawang and his team pivoted, focusing 100% of their efforts on pickup and delivery.
They found that through partnering with DoorDash, they could connect with customers and cut through the isolation brought on by the pandemic with their adventurous dishes.
A second helping of DoorDash
Despite their success using DoorDash to drive sales during the pandemic, Saengsawang and his CFO and Co-Founder, Atikom "Arty" Larpnampha, chose to pause their partnerships with all third-party delivery providers in early 2022. Leaving third-party delivery allowed their team to focus on the dine-in experience and experiment with taking pickup orders through their own website ordering channel.
But after just a three-month break, Farmhouse Kitchen realized they were missing out on sales and returned to DoorDash — this time as an exclusive partner. And with 50%* year-over-year DoorDash sales growth, they won't be leaving the platform anytime soon. "DoorDash takes pride in us," noted Larpnampha. "That's why I keep telling my team we're going to focus on the channel.
"DoorDash helps us reach new customers while still taking care of our repeat guests, who are the foundation of our business."
Spicy Sponsored Listings, sweet results
In addition to Marketplace, the Farmhouse Kitchen team also leverages DashPass, giving them access to the DoorDash customers that tend to order most frequently. They also use marketing tools like Sponsored Listings and Promotions, enabling them to reach a wider audience and offer deals on DoorDash.
"I love that with DoorDash, we don't have to pay the additional costs and liability of managing delivery in-house. But the biggest benefit is that the sales go up every year."
Using Sponsored Listings for all of their locations, Saengsawang and Larpnampha have seen nearly $150K** in sales, translating to a 6.17X return on ad spend (ROAS). And by taking advantage of the "Spend $X Get $Y" promotion on just one store, they've driven over $29K*** in sales and a massive 21X return on ad spend (ROAS). The restaurant also uses DoorDash Loyalty to encourage repeat orders.
While DoorDash's suite of products has boosted Farmhouse Kitchen's sales, their relationship with their DoorDash account manager has made all of the difference. From uploading new photos on their behalf and calculating their anticipated ROAS to helping them optimize their delivery listing, DoorDash is an extension of the Farmhouse Kitchen team. "On the accounting and finance side, we see the numbers in DoorDash — how much we spend, how much we get in return," explained Larpnampha. "I love that I don't have to do homework."
"We learn together, we grow together. We have a meeting with our account manager almost every month to see what's working and how our marketing campaigns are going, and then we analyze the information provided by DoorDash together."
Delivering peace of mind
Outside of Farmhouse Kitchen's partnership with DoorDash, Saengsawang turns to DoorDash as a customer — everything from exploring local restaurant options during his travels to getting items from the pharmacy delivered and even restocking restaurant ingredients in a pinch.
"When I ran out of chicken wings at the restaurant, I ordered ten packs on DoorDash. When I was sick with Covid, I ordered medicine from Walgreens, and it was phenomenal — a lifesaver moment. If I didn't have DoorDash, how could I live?"
Advice for other restaurateurs on third-party delivery
Larpnampha advises other restaurants who may be skeptical of third-party delivery to give DoorDash a try. "I want us as a successful restaurant to show other restaurants that they can do the same with delivery," he said.
"I know a lot of restaurant owners focus on the commission. But with DoorDash, you don’t have to hire drivers, and you get data that shows what's working and how you can succeed. Once you see the numbers, it's clear that it's worth it."
*When comparing Q1'25 to Q1'24
**Launched 8/21/24, ongoing, 14 stores
***Launched 10/25/23, ongoing, 1 store
