From April 22nd to 29th, chefs and restaurants across Santa Barbara County will take part in Ocean Friendly Restaurants (OFR) Week, a unique culinary event celebrating restaurants that are committed to reducing plastic pollution while serving outstanding cuisine with local, fresh ingredients. In previous years, participating restaurants of OFR Week selected a dish from their menu in which a portion of proceeds from that dish went directly to support the Surfrider Foundation Santa Barbara Chapter. However, this year, taking into consideration the hardships restaurants experienced through the pandemic, OFR week will solely focus on the celebration of our local, sustainable restaurants. Participating restaurants may choose to highlight a special dish or hold a specific promotion to encourage customers to visit their business during this Earth Week celebration.
This waste-free dining experience provided by OFRs will allow customers to play an important role in the protection of our oceans and environment. Participating restaurants include Blue Owl, Crushcakes & Cafe, Rincon Brewery, Satellite, Bouchon, Loquita, Mesa Verde, Alcazar Tapas Bar, and many more. A full list of Ocean Friendly Restaurants can be found on the Surfrider Santa Barbara chapter’s website. Celebrate Earth Week further by joining Surfrider’s various events such as environmentally themed trivia nights, yoga classes, and beach clean-ups. The Ocean Friendly Restaurants program is beginning its fourth year in the Santa Barbara County with a new 2.0 criteria that includes ocean-friendly practices such as omitting plastic bags and no plastic beverage bottles for purchase. Platinum level Ocean Friendly Restaurants go above and beyond to implement all 15 program criteria, including carrying sustainable seafood and implementing water conservation practices. There is no membership cost to join the OFR community as the Surfrider Foundation hopes to eliminate barriers for any local restaurant who needs support and wants to take steps towards more sustainable practices.
The Santa Barbara Ocean Friendly Restaurants program was launched through a partnership between the Surfrider Foundation Santa Barbara Chapter and the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara, and is generously supported by Eric
and Wendy Schmidt, the Zegar Family Foundation, Emmett Foundation, and Cheryl and John Gerngross. For more information and to view a full list of participating restaurants and upcoming events visit: go.surfrider.org/sb-ofr.
