Northbrook Restaurant Support
Donation protected
Who am I?
Hi all. My name is Ian Braverman and I recently moved back to Northbrook. I was born and raised in Northbrook and I am a proud alum of District 27 and Glenbrook North. I remember as a kid always biking to Big Apple Bagel after school to pick up a snack, running to Tongs or Marisa's to pick up dinner for the family, or grabbing Little Louie's during open Lunch at GBN. These are just a few examples of Northbrook staples that have been around for years and help to feed the people of Northbrook and the surrounding suburbs. These are the mainstays that make Northbrook what it is today.
The Goal
As mentioned, I just moved back to Northbrook with my wife and have heard/seen the struggles that a lot of our local restaurants are enduring as a result of the pandemic. I want our local restaurants and families to be able to get through these challenging times and know that they have the community's support, especially around the holidays.
This all started as an idea that my mom and I had over the years. We would pick a person during the holiday season who worked hard and deserved a little extra for the holidays. We would then give them $100 as a token of our appreciation. Thus, I figured I would take this idea to the next level. I thought it would be even better to raise money from the community for several restaurants that are mainstays for other families as well. This is way for many people to be appreciated during the holiday season. The goal would be to present the donations by December 18th.
The Plan (UPDATED: 11.23)
I have compiled a list of 20 local restaurants (below) that I think could help benefit from a small donation. My intent is donate a minimum of $200 to each listed restaurant. Therefore, 20 x $200 = $4,000, the current goal. If there is overwhelming interest, I would love to bump up the minimum donation and increase the number of restaurants. If this exceeds even that, the additional proceeds will be split pro-rata over the 20+ restaurants (or more if more recommendations come in). $500 per restaurant would be even better...If we don't happen to hit the goal, I will disburse the amount pro-rata over the original 15 restaurants.
I don't think it is our place to dictate what the funds should be put towards, as I expect every restaurant is in a different place financially. I would recommend that it helps to go towards expenses, rent, or as a gift to their employees for the holidays.
The Restaurants (UPDATED: 11.23)
1. Tong's
2. Marisa's Pizza
3. Josh's
4. Big Apple Bagel
5. Grill House
6. Greek Feast
7. Once Upon A Grill
8. House 406
9. Francesca's
10. EATACO
11. Landmark
12. Little Louie's
13. Trattoria Oliverii
14. Claim Company
15. Love's Yogurt (technically Glenview, but Henry is equally worthy of a donation)
16. Dairy Queen
17. Georgie V's
18. Baskin Robbins
19. Basu
20. Fujiyama
I apologize in advance if your favorite restaurant is not listed. I will do my best to accommodate requests if people have any. I just tried to pick a mix of restaurants across all of Northbrook.
Additionally, I plan to give a letter to the recipient restaurants stating all those who donated (names only, not amount), so if you want your name included, please provide your name when donating. Anonymous donations are welcome as well. Any dollar amount helps.
Promise
You may be thinking, "how can I trust this guy?" Well, I promise you that I seek to gain nothing personally from this. All I want to do is help the businesses that support Northbrook. For context, I work in Investment Management for a private equity company downtown, where it is my job to be the fiduciary for other people's money and investments. Thus, I promise you that your donations will get to the restaurants. I can take pictures with the recipients for further proof.
Hi all. My name is Ian Braverman and I recently moved back to Northbrook. I was born and raised in Northbrook and I am a proud alum of District 27 and Glenbrook North. I remember as a kid always biking to Big Apple Bagel after school to pick up a snack, running to Tongs or Marisa's to pick up dinner for the family, or grabbing Little Louie's during open Lunch at GBN. These are just a few examples of Northbrook staples that have been around for years and help to feed the people of Northbrook and the surrounding suburbs. These are the mainstays that make Northbrook what it is today.
The Goal
As mentioned, I just moved back to Northbrook with my wife and have heard/seen the struggles that a lot of our local restaurants are enduring as a result of the pandemic. I want our local restaurants and families to be able to get through these challenging times and know that they have the community's support, especially around the holidays.
This all started as an idea that my mom and I had over the years. We would pick a person during the holiday season who worked hard and deserved a little extra for the holidays. We would then give them $100 as a token of our appreciation. Thus, I figured I would take this idea to the next level. I thought it would be even better to raise money from the community for several restaurants that are mainstays for other families as well. This is way for many people to be appreciated during the holiday season. The goal would be to present the donations by December 18th.
The Plan (UPDATED: 11.23)
I have compiled a list of 20 local restaurants (below) that I think could help benefit from a small donation. My intent is donate a minimum of $200 to each listed restaurant. Therefore, 20 x $200 = $4,000, the current goal. If there is overwhelming interest, I would love to bump up the minimum donation and increase the number of restaurants. If this exceeds even that, the additional proceeds will be split pro-rata over the 20+ restaurants (or more if more recommendations come in). $500 per restaurant would be even better...If we don't happen to hit the goal, I will disburse the amount pro-rata over the original 15 restaurants.
I don't think it is our place to dictate what the funds should be put towards, as I expect every restaurant is in a different place financially. I would recommend that it helps to go towards expenses, rent, or as a gift to their employees for the holidays.
The Restaurants (UPDATED: 11.23)
1. Tong's
2. Marisa's Pizza
3. Josh's
4. Big Apple Bagel
5. Grill House
6. Greek Feast
7. Once Upon A Grill
8. House 406
9. Francesca's
10. EATACO
11. Landmark
12. Little Louie's
13. Trattoria Oliverii
14. Claim Company
15. Love's Yogurt (technically Glenview, but Henry is equally worthy of a donation)
16. Dairy Queen
17. Georgie V's
18. Baskin Robbins
19. Basu
20. Fujiyama
I apologize in advance if your favorite restaurant is not listed. I will do my best to accommodate requests if people have any. I just tried to pick a mix of restaurants across all of Northbrook.
Additionally, I plan to give a letter to the recipient restaurants stating all those who donated (names only, not amount), so if you want your name included, please provide your name when donating. Anonymous donations are welcome as well. Any dollar amount helps.
Promise
You may be thinking, "how can I trust this guy?" Well, I promise you that I seek to gain nothing personally from this. All I want to do is help the businesses that support Northbrook. For context, I work in Investment Management for a private equity company downtown, where it is my job to be the fiduciary for other people's money and investments. Thus, I promise you that your donations will get to the restaurants. I can take pictures with the recipients for further proof.
Organizer
Ian Braverman
Organizer
Northbrook, IL
