SNAP Program Pilot, Foodware Upon Request Ordinance, Citywide Hamburger Hop Sign Up

SNAP Benefits at Restaurants Pilot Program

A new state of Illinois pilot program for the Restaurant Meals Program will enable participating restaurants to accept SNAP benefits as a form of payment. Restaurants in four Chicago zip codes (60617, 60619, 60620, and 60628) and all of DeWitt County are eligible for the pilot.

Currently, SNAP benefits may only be utilized at authorized retail stores. This pilot will allow older adults, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness to use SNAP benefit at 8 restaurants selected by lottery to participate in the pilot. Click here for more information.

Restaurants and community stakeholders are invited to attend an information session about the pilot program tomorrow, Thursday, June 24 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Click here to register for the webinar.

Interested restaurants can sign up to participate in the pilot program here.

Single-Use Foodware Upon Request Ordinance Introduced

Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th) and Alderman George Cardenas (12th) have introduced an ordinance that would regulate the offering of single-use foodware at takeout or delivery from Chicago restaurants. The ordinance would require a food dispensing establishment to only provide single-use foodware upon request from the customer or at a self-service station.

"Single-use foodware" means any eating utensil or other item to be used as part of food or beverage service that is designed and intended by the manufacturer for only one usage before being discarded, including forks, spoons, sporks, knifes, chopsticks, other eating utensils, stirrers, drink stoppers, splash sticks, cocktail sticks, toothpicks, napkins, wet-wipes, CUP sleeves, beverage trays, disposable plates, and condiment packets. Single-use foodware does not include straws, beverage lids, or items used to contain or package food or beverages for delivery or take-out orders. 

Exemptions to the ordinance include: single-use foodware needed to address safety concerns such as lids, straws, and drink stoppers; foodware that is prepackaged with the food item; drive-thrus; and airport locations.

The ordinance does not include penalties for non-compliance, as it seeks to encourage incremental behavioral change.

The IRA has been in communication with the sponsors to ensure business-friendly provisions are included in the ordinance. Please contact Matt Quinn with any questions or comments.

Click here to read the ordinance. Click here to read more from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Free Breast Health Testing Available to Industry Workers Through A Silver Lining Foundation

A Silver Lining Foundation’s (ASLF) mission is to provide access to respectful and equal access to cost-free breast health testing through a network of partnerships with community, advocacy and healthcare organizations.

Given the ongoing hardships continuing to face the restaurant and hospitality community due to COVID-19, the IRA and ASLF have partnered to share the availability of these services for industry employees. ASLF works with 15 partner hospitals throughout the greater Chicagoland area, Rockford and Elgin.

If you need breast health testing and are associated with the IRA in any way, reach out to A Silver Lining Foundation at (312) 345-1322 to see if you qualify.

You will be asked the following questions:

• Do you have insurance of any kind at all?

• Do you have insurance, but can't afford the deductible?

• Do you have an order for breast health testing?

Be prepared to give some general information including your address, date of birth, and contact information (phone and email, if you have one). You will not be asked about financial or immigration status.

When we ask how you heard of us, say "RESTAURANT".

The goal of A Silver Lining Foundation is to provide access to potentially lifesaving breast health testing to those in need.

Restaurants Wanted for Citywide Hamburger Hop

Chicago Gourmet's fan-favorite Hamburger Hop will go back on tour in 2021 with the Citywide Hamburger Hop!

Chicago-area restaurants are invited to participate by offering a competition burger at your restaurant from Wednesday, September 1 to Thursday, September 30. Burger aficionados will be encouraged to dash around town, to sample each tasty burger and then vote online for their favorites. Virtual voting for the event will begin on September 1 and end on September 22.

In 2020, 100+ restaurants battled it out for the the best burger! This year the winning chef will be announced at the live Hamburger Hop at the Harris Rooftop Theater in Millennium Park on September 24.

Proceeds from the Citywide Hamburger Hop will benefit the IRA Educational Foundation. We're encouraging participating restaurants to donate $1 from each burger sold to support the IRAEF.

We hope you will join us for this special edition of the Hamburger Hop. Click here to complete your Citywide Hamburger Hop application by Wednesday, July 7. Marketing materials (e-tool kit + menu template), donation instructions, and voting information will be provided.

If you have questions about participation, please contact Derrika Soto.

Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice Grants Now Available for Chicago-Area Restaurants

The Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice at the Lee Initiative Fund exists to get behind Black-owned businesses through grants aimed to support these businesses during the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The Fund aims to extend support to Black-owned businesses in our communities who have been left behind by traditional funding sources.

The Chicago-area Restaurant Relief Grant is open to businesses in the Chicago area that are at least 50% Black-owned. Thanks to a generous anonymous donation, the SRRJ Advisory Committee will select up to 15 grant recipients for grants of $15,000. 

Click here to learn more and apply.

All Chicago Residents Now Eligible for In-home COVID-19 Vaccination and $50 Gift Card from Grubhub

The Chicago Department of Public Health has announced that its in-home vaccination program, Protect Chicago At Home, is now open to all Chicago residents age 12 and up. To encourage Chicago residents to take advantage of the program, Chicago-based Grubhub will donate gift cards valued at $50 to every household that chooses in-home vaccination.

Click here to read more.

Tomorrow  - Webinar on Marketing Tips from Google and Your Tourism & Beverage Brand Partners

Tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m., join the IRA and panelists from Google, Kimpton Gray Hotel, and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Illinois for a webinar providing online and in-house ideas for leveraging tools and partners to market your business. Attendees will hear tips and ideas to use this summer to promote your business and drive customer traffic.

This webinar is being provided in partnership with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Community Recovery Initiative.

Click here to register.