Fill Up, Feel Good
Updated: July 09, 2009
The easiest way to volunteer, ever: Just dine out! That's the idea behind these Chicago restaurants where every time you eat out, you also give back.
Feeling Good in the Neighborhood
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Argo Tea Cafe
Read Reviews958 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60614 (map)
Aside from the plethora of tasty hot and cold tea drinks, smoothies and the free WiFi, this growing Chicago-based teahouse chain also entices patrons by partnering with organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Share Our Strength and Local First Chicago. It also donates 10 percent of all proceeds from its cherry-flavored ChariTEA drink to local nonprofit organizations, selecting a new charity every month.
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Blue Sky Bakery and Cafe
Write a review4749 N Albany Ave, Chicago, IL 60625 (map)
Known for its friendly service and tasty, inexpensive pastries, this Albany Park bakery and cafe employs disadvantaged and homeless youth, giving them work experience and incentive to pursue an education. The teens try their hands at cooking, baking and customer service, and attend weekly sessions to address teamwork and communication. Need further prodding to check it out? The granola is to-die-for.
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First Slice
Read Reviews4401 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640 (map)
This Ravenswood non-profit sandwich, soup and dessert cafe, located inside the Lillstreet Art Center, is dedicated to feeding the hungry. Enjoy a local, organic meal in the cafe, or sign yourself up for the weekly meal subscription program, and you help to fund its efforts to provide healthy, nourishing meals to Chicago's hungry and homeless. That means when you eat, so do they. As for the cafe's signature offering, there's chocolate peanut-butter, poached pear and chocolate Key lime, just for starters. Need bonus karma points? All of the coffee is Fair Trade.
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La Madia
Read Reviews59 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60610 (map)
Need an excuse to eat carbs guilt-free? Order the chicken, spinach and ricotta ravioli at this River North contemporary Italian restaurant and pizzeria and $1 will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation. Feel better?
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North Pond
Read Reviews2610 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614 (map)
You can't go wrong planning a date night at North Pond with its stunning views of Lincoln Park and an equally sumptuous seasonal menu. Beyond its commitment to organic, local and sustainable food, North Pond goes a step further, tacking on an extra $1 to the price of every bottle of wine on its list, which it then matches with another $1 of its own money and donates to non-profit organizations chosen for their commitment to local, sustainable lifestyles.
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Rock Bottom
Read Reviews1 W Grand Street, Chicago, IL 60610 (map)
Beer and barbecue, anyone? Aside from its status as a hot after-work hangout in River North, this chain brewery's parent company also manages The Rock Bottom Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting hunger. The Chicago outpost also works with the Muscular Dystrophy Association for its annual Fire Chief Ale fundraiser and Chili Cook-off in the spring and organizes volunteer efforts in the community, including three dinners per year for 200 hungry homeless people. It also regularly donates food to the organization HELP (Help Ease Local Hunger).
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Walter Payton's Roundhouse Complex
Write a review205 N Broadway, Aurora, IL 60505 (map)
With a restaurant, brewpub, 14 bars, banquet facilities, live entertainment and an open-air courtyard, the Roundhouse in Aurora covers all the bases for a successful night out. What's more, you can sign up your favorite charity for the Donation Points Program, and 10 percent of the cost of your meal will be donated to the cause you designate.
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