Illinois’ first Green Dining Hub established on September 9th, 2023
The efforts are led by Ravi Parakkat, founder of Takeout 25 and a current village trustee, as well as Cassie Carroll, director and co-founder of IGBA in an attempt to build the state’s first sustainable restaurant eco-system. While IGBA’s program for Takeout 25 restaurants will be modeled after green dining districts located in St. Louis and Reno, the Oak Park area program will be built from the ground up with considerable input from restaurant owners.
Carroll is completing on-site assessments in a multitude of Oak Park area restaurants looking for items such as volume, production style, energy consumption, water use and waste. Carroll is eager to amplify the good decisions local restaurants are already making and build upon those successes.
One part of our Green DIning Hub program is educating the community about green dining through our Community Ambassador volunteers. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer and supporting local restaurants in their sustainability endeavors, see the Community Ambassador blurb at the bottom of the page.
Takeout 25 has partnered with the Illinois Green Business Association (IGBA) to seize the opportunity to form Illinois’ first ever “Green Dining Hub” in the Oak Park area. The Urbana-Champaign based organization is funding the local program through grants and has ambitions to grow this first effort into a state-wide program.
While this effort naturally centers around Oak Park, Takeout 25 does not want to exclude any restaurants affiliated with Takeout 25 from participating in the green dining program. We are aiming for 25% of Takeout 25 affiliated restaurants to become part of the program to officially become a “green dining district.” The program could expand naturally from there.
Takeout 25 is excited to execute the program in a “commercially responsible” manner that has value for restaurants in Oak Park, River Forest and surrounding communities. Participation will be voluntary and restaurants opting into the program will be subject to annual assessments to ensure they are meeting program requirements.
Proud Participants
Addis Café
Anfora Wine Merchants
Autre Monde Café
Betty’s Pizza
Big Shrimpin’
Blackout Baking
Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor
Buzz Café
Candycopia
Carnivore
Chicago Waffles
Chubby’s Hot Chicken
The Daly Bagel
Happy Apple Pie Shop
Kettlestrings Grove
Kettlestrings Tavern
Khyber Pass
Kribi Coffee
Media Noche Café
Mora Asian Kitchen
One Lake Brewing
Poke Burrito
Starship
Sugar Beet Food Co-op
Taco Mucho
Wise Cup
Takeout 25 Green Dining Hub
Restaurant Green Practice List
This list is to offer ideas on green aspects to promote when sharing social media messages regarding each dining hub participation. Please amplify the GOOD work these restaurants are doing! Remember - they are on a journey and continue to make progress.
Addis Cafe
Use compostable to-go boxes made from recycled materials
Focus on energy efficiency by programming thermostats, using LED lighting, and unplugging/turning off equipment when not in use
Autre Monde Cafe
Our cooking oil is picked up and recycled into green cleaning products
Our dining room was built with over 80% repurposed materials and green building practices.
Our from scratch kitchen maximizes use of all product limiting waste and what ends up in a landfill.
Betty’s Pizza
Pizza boxes are 100% compostable
Program thermostats for unoccupied hours
Use to go packaging with recycled content when possible
Buzz Café
Use bio-based and recycled content products for all food ware
Installed LED lighting across the restaurant and bakery
Divert all recyclable materials away from the land
Chicago Waffles
To-go containers are made from recycled-content materials
Using hand dryers rather than paper towels in restrooms
Reusable menus, silverware on request only
Chubby’s Hot Chicken
Use compostable to-go packaging
Installed LED lighting to reduce energy use
Kettlestrings Grove
Uses reusable dishes and glassware for dining
Conserves energy by using LED lighting
Uses hand dryers instead of paper towels in restrooms
Kettlestrings Tavern
Use to-go packaging made with recycled materials when possible
Conserve energy by using LEDs across the restaurant
Use reusable dishes and glasses for dining
Poke Burrito
Burrito containers and bowls are made with compostable materials
Testing out compostable utensils
Exploring vegan options for menu items
Community Ambassadors
Community Ambassadors are a collective of sustainably-minded individuals within Oak Park and neighboring communities who promote and educate about the Green Dining Hub community of restaurants.
By dedicating a maximum of 5 hours a month to having conversations/posting about green dining in the region, you will help us in our goal of becoming the first Green Dining Hub in Illinois.
Why should I join?
Support local businesses in their efforts to become greener.
Increase visibility and network with other individuals in the green business sphere.
Connect with a community of like-minded individuals: the chance to network with local organizations interested in sustainability and climate crisis solutions.
Gain meaningful volunteer experience.
What are the criteria for joining?
We’d like our ambassadors to be people who are passionate about food, sustainability and have a positive outlook on building and developing a sustainable community.
We also would like you to live in the Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, Berwyn, Austin/Galewood, or Elmwood Park communities.
Further, a willingness to share information with your community verbally, digitally, through social media platforms, or in other ways is a must.
Finally, we’d prefer if you have personal involvement in local sustainability efforts to maximize outreach.
