About Us
The Origin
Takeout 25 was conceived November 2020 in Oak Park, Illinois, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The governor's order to close restaurants to indoor dining caused a downward spiral of anxiety, hopelessness, recrimination, and argument among restaurant owners and residents alike.
Math to the Rescue!
A simple equation proved that a specific amount — $25/week in takeout meals — could keep local restaurants afloat during the pandemic shut-down. The simplicity of the request, and the assurance that it could work if we worked together — lifted an entire community. Takeout 25 kept family businesses afloat, while keeping resident families safe.
Takeout 25: An Introduction
Ravi Parakkat, Founder and CEO, discusses the origins of Takeout 25 with SAGE publications for a business school case study on Social Entrepreneurship featuring Takeout 25, created by University of Virginia – Frank Batten School of Public policy and Leadership.
The Board
Ravi Parakkat
Ravi Parakkat is the Founder of Takeout 25 and serves as its board President. An Engineer and an MBA with business and board experience, Ravi is the Vice President of Digital Transformation with Junior Achievement of Chicago helping this impactful non-profit embrace digital to help young people succeed in life. In a career in consulting spanning over 20 years, 3 continents, and several industries notably Financial Service, Energy and Utilities and Manufacturing, Ravi has had the privilege of working with industries and organizations during transformative years. He has set up and managed profitable multi-million dollar projects and digital transformation focused consulting businesses. Ravi also serves as an elected Trustee on the Oak Park Village board and lives in Oak Park, IL with his wife Amy and their two daughters Rowen and Reva.
John Harris
John Harris is co-founder and CEO of a5 Branding & Digital, and serves as Takeout 25 Oak Park board secretary. A writer and storyteller by trade, Harris champions the development of healthy, sustainable communities through a triple bottom line approach: economic development, environmental effectiveness and social equity. a5 clients include communities and business districts (Oak Park, Woodstock, Niles, Downtown Oak Park), education (Johns Hopkins University), non-profits (Oak Park Homelessness Coalition, Oak Leyden, Beyond Hunger, Oak Park Housing Authority) and parks and recreation (Illinois Park and Recreation Association, Northbrook Park District). He and his wife Clarice moved to Oak Park in 1996 where they raised two children. He is co-founder of GreenTown, an experience that brings people together to create a sustainable community, with Seven Generations Ahead. GreenTown has led to the development of sustainability plans and networks in 20-plus Midwestern communities.
Madeline Khan Roberts
For over 19 years Madeline Khan-Roberts has enjoyed a successful career as a sales professional with US Foods, a wholesale distributor. Her passion for the job stems from partnering with restaurants and food service providers to help their businesses succeed. She was awarded Sales Representative of the Year in 2018 for the Chicago division.
Prior to joining US Foods, Madeline owned and operated multiple restaurants in Andersonville, the beloved Dellwood Pickle and Café Boost. The Dellwood Pickle was a full service restaurant that featured regional American food with a southwest flair, while Café Boost offered fresh brewed coffee and specialty teas alongside fresh baked goods, homemade soups, and sandwiches. During this time, Madeline served on the SSA committee alongside the Andersonville Development Corporation, providing essential services to the commercial district. Madeline lives in Oak Park with her husband Steve and their son Elliott, a 2024 graduate of Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. They also have a daughter Jasmin, son-in-law Nick, and two grandchildren Ana and Logan living in Greenville, SC.
Sean Hennessy
Sean Hennessy is a respected and experienced Hospitality leader. Sean spent over 20 years in the Sports and Entertainment industry with the premier management and restaurant companies, Aramark and Levy Restaurants Sports and Entertainment. In his tenure with those organizations Sean had the opportunity to develop strategies for, and lead the operations some of the largest events, Super Bowls, World Series, Brazil World Cup, and Major Concert Festivals across the U.S. As a Regional Director Sean’s portfolio of accounts had a managed volume of over $200M annually. His oversite responsibility has included some of the busiest and most visible venues in the world including Wells Fargo Center, Prudential Center, Soldier Field, Arrowhead Stadium, Staples Center, McCormick Place, Field Museum, and many others. Sean’s career has been highlighted with significant new business development achievements, leveraging the use of data and technology. He also was at the forefront of bringing local restaurant experiences to venues across the country, working with Celebrity Chefs, Restaurant Groups, and Independent Restaurateurs. He has been recognized as one of the most innovative leaders in Sports and Entertainment by Venues Magazine and Sports Business Journal. Sean resides in Oak Park, Illinois with His wife Jennifer and son Declan. Sean and Jennifer volunteer their time and passion in many ways, but you can generally find Sean coaching baseball throughout the year.
Rob Guenthner
Rob Guenthner serves as the Chief Legal Officer for Oak Street Health, a publicly traded national provider of primary care for adults on Medicare. Rob is also an owner of Kettlestrings Kitchen & Tap, Inc., the operator of Kettlestrings Tavern and soon-to-come new ventures, Kettlestrings Grove and Betty's Pizza & Pasta. Rob and the rest of the Kettlestrings team opened Kettlestrings Tavern in March of 2020 and have witnessed first hand the challenges of running a small business during particularly trying times and, more importantly, the tremendous support that engaged communities are willing to provide to their local businesses. Rob has lived in Oak Park with his wife Katie since 2009 and, in what they are told makes them the longest continuously running family in the school's history, have had a child at Beye Elementary continuously since that time. Older children now attend or have attended Julian Middle School, Jones College Prep and OPRF High School.
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“Take Out 25 is a complete paradigm shift on how we think about the business in our community and the impact an individual citizen can have. The pandemic has been bleak time for small business and Takeout25 put the power in the peoples hands to make a difference… It’s very powerful.“
— Sean Hennessy (Board Member)