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Ocean Friendly Restaurants

Find an Ocean Friendly Restaurant Near You

560 restaurants and counting!
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Our Model

About The Program

The Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants program recognizes restaurants that are committed to cutting out wasteful single-use plastic and offers a simple, straightforward framework to help them make sustainable choices for our ocean. The result is a community of like-minded restaurants we can promote, support, and lift up as examples of success to influence plastic reduction legislation. The larger we grow our network of Ocean Friendly leaders, the more mainstream the concept of plastic-free becomes.

Interested in becoming an Ocean Friendly Restaurant? It is completely free to join! 

The Ocean Friendly Restaurants program recognizes restaurants that are committed to making sustainable choices for our ocean so that people can dine with peace of mind.

How To Participate

Mandatory Criteria (All 7 Required):

  1. Only reusable foodware is used for onsite dining.*
  2. Paper straws are provided only upon request.** 
  3. No expanded polystyrene use (aka Styrofoam). 
  4. No plastic bags are used for takeout or to-go orders. 
  5. Single-use utensils, straws, condiments, and other accessory items are provided only upon request.
  6. Beverages are not sold in plastic bottles.
  7. Proper recycling practices are followed.

* Foodware includes dinnerware, drinkware, silverware, and ramekins/containers.

** Exceptions may be made for naturally occurring materials (e.g. hay, bamboo) and reusables (e.g. metal, glass), not including bio-based plastic. Straws should be provided to anyone who needs one, including people with disabilities. Read more here.

Check out our Quick Guide (English) or Quick Guide (Spanish) for more tips to meet each of the criteria. 

Review our Ocean Friendly Foodware Guide 2.0 to find product alternatives, a decision matrix to help review products and avoid greenwashing, and OFR case studies. 

Optional Criteria (Choose At Least 3):

  1. A discount is offered for customers with a reusable item (e.g. cup, container, bag).
  2. Vegetarian and vegan food options are offered on a regular basis.
  3. All seafood is ‘Best Choice’ or ‘Good Alternative’ as defined by Seafood Watch, or no seafood is served.*
  4. Water conservation and pollution mitigation efforts are implemented.**
  5. Energy efficiency efforts are in place.***
  6. Concessions and pre-packaged food items are not sold in plastic packaging.
  7. Composting efforts are in place for food waste.
  8. Neither single-use plastic nor bio-based plastic containers are used for takeout or to-go orders, reusable containers are preferred.

* Locally sourced, sustainable seafood is preferred and should be prioritized when Seafood Watch recommendations do not apply. 

** Examples include installing low-flow faucets and toilets, offering drinking water upon request only, no hosing down outside to reduce urban runoff, proper disposal of FOG, and up-to-date septic or sewage to prevent wastewater pollution.

*** Examples include switching to LED lighting, installing solar panels, using Energy Star certified appliances and/or other efforts to use less energy.

Restaurants that meet all of the criteria are recognized as a Platinum Level Ocean Friendly Restaurant!

Restaurant Benefits

  • Ocean Friendly Restaurants marketing collateral including window stickers, brochures, and bill inserts to promote your membership to customers.
  • Use of Ocean Friendly Restaurants logos for restaurant menu, website and other restaurant marketing materials.
  • Restaurant listed on Surfrider national and chapter websites.
  • Restaurant included in Ocean Friendly Restaurants national map on Surfrider national and chapter websites.
  • Launch parties and collaborative promotions with your nearest Surfrider chapter.
  • Access to national vendor discounts on sustainable restaurant and to-go products.
  • Tax-deductible donation opportunity.
  • Association with a nationally recognized nonprofit with thousands of members and supporters working hard to keep our ocean healthy and protected!
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Ocean Friendly Restaurants receive marketing collateral, including window stickers, brochures, and bill inserts to promote their membership to customers

Restaurant Benefits

  • Ocean Friendly Restaurants marketing collateral including window stickers, brochures, and bill inserts to promote your membership to customers.
  • Use of Ocean Friendly Restaurants logos for restaurant menu, website and other restaurant marketing materials.
  • Restaurant listed on Surfrider national and chapter websites.
  • Restaurant included in Ocean Friendly Restaurants national map on Surfrider national and chapter websites.
  • Launch parties and collaborative promotions with your nearest Surfrider chapter.
  • Access to national vendor discounts on sustainable restaurant and to-go products.
  • Tax-deductible donation opportunity.
  • Association with a nationally recognized nonprofit with thousands of members and supporters working hard to keep our ocean healthy and protected!

Do you own, manage, or can you recommend a restaurant that you would like to signup as an Ocean Friendly Restaurant? 

    Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

Interested in becoming a Surfrider Ocean Friendly Restaurant Member?

Get started by filling out the signup form below.

Are you located in the Great Lakes region?

Visit our Great Lakes Friendly Restaurants page for more information.

Did you know we are expanding?

Visit our Ocean Friendly Hotels page for more information.

The Surfrider Foundation acknowledges that we cannot claim that all listed Ocean Friendly Restaurants are 100% in compliance with our standards at all times, but that the Surfrider Foundation strives to diligently review compliance on a regular basis. If an Ocean Friendly Restaurant is found to be out of compliance, they are removed from the website as quickly as possible. Such a restaurant will not be reinstated on the list of Ocean Friendly Restaurants until the compliance issue is remedied.