UPDATE (October 29, 2020): With the second wave of COVID-19 underway, bars and restaurants around Illinois are getting whiplash trying to figure out how to operate safely and within the state’s guidelines. Because things are feeling very insecure and untenable right now, we’ve gone through the Virtual Tip Jar list again to see what fundraisers are still open.
Got a few bucks? If you have the means, please give to the waitstaff fundraisers. Alternately, go buy some beer to go, fill up a growler, buy a crowler or some merch.
As always, thank you, wear your mask, wash your hands, be safe.
We’re keeping track (trying to, anyways) of all the bars and breweries that have set up GoFundMe accounts, virtual tip jars or online gift card purchases to help support their staff during the statewide shutdown of on-premise dining and drinking.
If you aren’t able to share with any of these organizations or campaigns right now, we ask that you kindly consider making a delivery order or a takeout order from a restaurant, bar or brewery that you might have otherwise patronized. (And then tip well!)
See one we should add? Email me at [email protected] or hit us up on Twitter.
UPDATE: We’ve also been in touch with the awesome folks behind Chicago Hospitality Employment Relief — their guide has a ton of other great resources. There’s also the Chicago Service Relief page and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild has built a similar GDoc that has beer pickup/takeout info plus additional info.
- Bar on Buena
- Beermiscuous Virtual Cafe
- The Beer Temple
- Boiler Room
- Brothership Brewing (gift card link)
- Carol’s Pub
- Clark Street Ale House
- Cobra Lounge staff fund (also home to All Rise Brewing)
- Dovetail Brewery’s “virtual stammtisch”
- D & G Brewing — gift card link
- DMen Tap
- Empirical Brewing
- Empty Bottle & Bite Cafe
- Eris Brewing & Cider House
- GMan Tavern
- The Grafton
- The Green Lady
- Half Acre (staff gofundme link and fundraiser tshirt sales)
- The Hideout Virtual Tip Jar
- Hopewell Brewing (online store includes staff support donation)
- Hopleaf Staff
- Imperial Oak
- Kaiser Tiger
- Kasey’s Tavern
- Kuma’s Corner
- Maplewood Brewing
- Marz Gift Card Relief Fund
- Maria’s / Kimski
- More Brewing (Huntley)
- Nisei Lounge
- Off Color’s Mousetrap
- Old Irving Brewing
- On Tour (gift cards)
- Omega Yeast
- Osito’s Tap
- Paddy Long’s
- Peckish Pig (donate $5K for free beer for life!)
- Penrose Brewing (digital gift card link)
- Pilot Project
- Plank Road Tap Room
- Rock Island Public House
- Rossi’s
- Sleeping Village Employee Fund
- Smylie Brothers Brewing Company
- Spiteful Brewing
- Tapster
- Temperance Brewing
- Twisted Hippo
- The Whistler
- The Long Room
- Delilah’s
- Uncommon Ground Lakeview (home of Greenstar Brewing)
- Uptown Lounge
- Urban Brew Labs (gift cards)
- Cole’s Bar
- 4eg Bar Staff (aliveOne, Estelle’s, Easy Bar, The Owl and Remedy)
- Footman Hospitality (Bangers & Lace, Sparrow, Kite String Cantina, Bucktown Pub, Spilt Milk and Little Victories)
- Dante’s Tavern
- Lizard’s Liquid Lounge
- Lemming’s Bar
- Reggie’s
- Brownstone Tavern
- New Line Tavern
In addition to this Virtual Tip Jar roundup, we’re also seeing that most breweries are making updates to their audiences on Instagram. We’ve been updating the Brewery List underneath our map to add everyone’s IG handle so it’s easy to find their pages the quickest.
Now go wash your hands!