News Category: Restaurants

Grubhub was born and bred in Chicago. We opened our doors in the Windy City in 2004 on the belief that we could support and enable local restaurants to grow through innovation. Nineteen years later, Grubhub has helped more than 14,000 local restaurants serve more than one million diners spanning neighborhoods across Chicago.

One way we say thank you to the community that gave us our start is by giving back. That’s why we are kicking off a new $300,000 partnership with The Hatchery Chicago®, a leading non-profit incubator dedicated to fostering successful food and beverage businesses on the West Side of Chicago.

Grubhub’s partnership with The Hatchery Chicago includes:

• Sponsoring a pitch competition and awarding the winner with 1-year fully paid access to the private Grubhub Kitchen at The Hatchery.
• Developing new educational materials to guide The Hatchery Chicago’s entrepreneurs interested in utilizing third-party delivery to grow their businesses.
• Providing philanthropic support through the Grubhub Community Fund*  to The Hatchery Chicago’s Sprouts Incubation program.

“Our partnership with The Hatchery Chicago is especially exciting because their mission to help local entrepreneurs build and grow successful businesses is exactly what we do at Grubhub every day with our own restaurant partners,” said Liz Bosone, Grubhub’s Vice President of Restaurant Success. “Not only are we offering financial support, but teams across Grubhub are working with The Hatchery Chicago to offer deeper, meaningful engagement that can help put their entrepreneurs on a path to sustained growth and success.”

Earlier this year, we outlined three focus areas for our philanthropy and community impact work. This partnership directly aligns with two: supporting independent restaurants to positively impact communities and creating opportunities in the hospitality industry.

“Since opening our doors on the West Side of Chicago in 2019, The Hatchery Chicago has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs get their starts in our kitchens and learn the necessary skills to launch and grow viable businesses,” said Natalie Shmulik, The Hatchery’s Chief Strategy & Incubation Officer. “On top of our existing services, our partnership with Grubhub allows us to look at new ways to support our community of entrepreneurs, including helping them successfully leverage online marketing and delivery resources to increase efficiencies and generate revenue.”

The Hatchery Chicago is our newest community impact partnership in Chicago. Through the Grubhub Community Fund, we also partner with local organizations like Nourishing Hope and Union League Boys & Girls Club, and national organizations like the Restaurant Strong Fund to administer restaurant grant programs in Chicago and across the country. To date, the Grubhub Community Fund has enabled more than 400 grants totaling more than $4 million to independent restaurants and awarded nearly $660,000 to nonprofit organizations in Chicago. 

We’re proud of the impact we’ve had in our hometown and of this new collaboration. And, we are excited to bring it to life! In the coming months, Grubhub and The Hatchery will announce details for the first pitch competition to win access to the private Grubhub Kitchen and additional joint events. We have a lot of work ahead, and we’re excited about what’s to come.

*The Grubhub Community Fund is a donor advised fund at a national sponsoring organization. The Grubhub Community Fund is made possible through donations from our customers through our Donate The Change feature. Grubhub matches contributions on eligible orders from our Grubhub+ members.

BOSTON, MA – The Greg Hill Foundation’s Restaurant Strong Fund and the Grubhub Community Fund are pleased to announce $1.45 million in grant opportunities have been distributed to over 130 restaurants across four cities.

On Friday, June 16th, The Restaurant Strong Fund announced the recipients of the 2023 Restaurant Strong Grant. This grant provided restaurants the flexibility to utilize the funds in a manner that best suited their individual needs. Please see enclosed list of all restaurant recipients.

Grants ranged from $5,000 to $25,000 were awarded depending on need and growth opportunity showcased in the application. The program aimed to alleviate financial burdens and assist these establishments in adapting to the changing landscape of the restaurant industry. Recipients were able to allocate the grant towards providing opportunities that impact revenue growth and giving areas including, but not limited to: updating technology/equipment necessary to enhance day-to-day operations, marketing & public relations services, staff training programs, incentivized wages, or maintenance/updating of current infrastructure.

The Campaign will be limited to restaurants that have only one location with 50 employees or less within Boston, Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia. A portion of grant funds were dedicated to supporting diverse, women owned, minority owned, and LGBTQIA+ owned businesses.

The Restaurant Strong Fund remains committed to making a positive impact in the communities it operates in, and the successful completion of the 2023 Restaurant Strong Grant is a testament to that commitment. By supporting local restaurants in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, The Restaurant Strong Fund aims to contribute to their growth, helping to restore the vibrancy and resilience of these remarkable cities.

ACCEPTED RESTAURANTS

Boston

$25,000
Blunch, MDAB LLC DBA, Mo’rockin Fusion, Reunion BBQ, Tawakal Halal Café

$10,000
Caffe Dello Sport, Cafe Iterum LLC, Casarecce Restaurant, Sufra Mediterranean Food, Sunset Cantina

$5,000
Basile – Fine Italian Kitchen, Brassica Kitchen and Cafe, Bukowski Tavern, Chickadee, Crispy Dough Pizzeria, LA Hacienda Restaurant, Paddy O’s of Boston, Samurai Express Japanese Restaurant, Seabiscuit, Villa Mexico Cafe

Chicago

$25,000
Boulevard Bistro, Bubble & Brew, Decadent Dessert Bar & Bistro, Dear Margaret, Dirty Tiffs Cafe, Imani’s Original Bean Pies, New Orleans Seafood Inc, Smack Dab Chicago, Tasty World Restaurant, Toro Sushi

$10,000
Baba Pita, Bocadillo Market, Drew’s on Halsted, E Ramen, Herb, Irenes, Kizin Creole restaurant, Krung Thep Thai Cuisine, Kubo, MFK., Standard Bar and Grill, Tacotlan, Twilight Kitchen, Uncle Ben’s Grill, Wild Blossom Meadery

$5,000
8A5E LLC, Ambers Food Cafe, Elevate Coffee, Evelyn’s Food Love, H&C POUR HOUSE, Indgo MRKTO, John’s Place, La Flor de Acapulco, La Michoacana Del Panda Inc, Luke’s Italian Beef, Mable’s Table, Mei’s, Mom’s Place – A Chicago Gathering Spot, Pho Loan, Port and Park Bistro, Side Practice Coffee LLC, The Cafeteria, The Comedy Clubhouse, The Jibarito Stop, Yummy Buffet

New York

$25,000
Abe’s Corner, Blu Room Bar & Lounge, Casita of Brooklyn, Concrete, Filly Luv, Miss American Pie, Ricas Pupusas & Mas, Royale, The Ryerson, Tiramisu Restaurant

$10,000
Benemon, Blueline Fry Plantain, Coffee Bay Restaurant, Come on Thai, Saigon Spice, Everything Grilled, J’s On The Bay, Kin Khao Thai, L and Z Bakery Inc, Nneji, Shogun Japan, The Daily Press Coffee House and Bar, The Halal Spot, Winemak’her Bar, Xe May Sandwich Shop

$5,000
7 Elephants, Aji Sushi House, Circo’s Pasty Shop, DokoDemo, Ethel & Annie Mae’s Soulfood Kitchen, GLACE, Italian Touch Pizza and Pasta (Staten Island), Karazishi Botan, Kombit Restaurant, L’arte della Pizza Brooklyn, Little Chef Little Cafe, Ouaga Sports Bar, Orange Caribbean and Grill Restaurant, Ortomare Ristorante Pizzeria, Palenque Colombian Food, Sze’s Garden Inc, Thailicious, The Bad Bagel, Therapy Wine Bar 2.0, Whisk & Whiskey

Philadelphia

$25,000
Ani’s Pizza Pasta and Wings, Crust Vegan Bakery, Daaiyah’s Delicious, Mawn, New Hong Kong Bakery Inc

$10,000
At Ramen MNYK, Cicala at The Divine Lorraine, Glory Beer Bar & Kitchen, In & Out Grill, New Wave Cafe, Newman’s Grill, Pizza Dot Com in Germantown, The Trestle Inn

$5,000
Antonio’s Deli, Cake Life Bake Shop, Cairo Kitchen on the Go, Farina Pasta and Noodle, Golden Crust Pizza lll, Sulimay’s Restaurant, Strangelove’s, Southwark, The Igloo