A Decade of Gathering
A decade is a significant amount of time in a human life span—but, if restaurant years are anything like dog years, it probably equates to about a century.
So here we are today, over 10 years into launching this ambitious project, and there is so much to celebrate at Gather. From day one, we have chosen to be a values-based business that exists to serve and give back to the community. To that end, we support local, beyond-sustainable farmers and food producers, offer clean, creative food and drink that people can trust, build a familial team environment, and provide uplifting, memorable experiences for our guests. Gather was always meant to be more than just a restaurant. We opened our doors to make a positive difference in the world and use our platform for social good.
Here are some examples of what we’ve accomplished over the years:
We convened over 100 investors to help crowdfund a community restaurant during the Great Recession.
We have served over 1 million meals! Be careful McDonald’s, we’re catching up. Let’s toast to that—over 1 million beyond-organic, happy meals at Gather!
We have supported hundreds of sustainable farm, ranch, fishing, and other food operations, and the tireless and often thankless work of thousands of talented people who are out there stewarding the land each day.
Our careful sourcing has gone well beyond just produce and meats, and includes everything from spices and oils to grains, legumes, coffee, wines, and more.
We have maintained a team of about 50 staff members, and are always striving to create a welcome and meaningful place to work.
We divert literally tons of landfill waste on a monthly basis through our composting program. We maintain very minimal food waste, and our partners have created thousands of gallons of biofuel from our used vegetable oil.
We have taken a stand for important policies including a recent ban on single use plastics in Berkeley.
We’ve donated over $100,000 in cash, gift cards, and discounts to a wide array of local and global organizations through our cocktails for change and community giveback programs.
We’ve hosted thousands of birthday celebrations, weddings, fundraisers, and have witnessed numerous wedding engagements at our tables.
We were named Best New Restaurant by Esquire Magazine, one of the “World’s Best 15 Farm-to-Table Restaurants” by American Express, and dubbed “the omnivore’s solution” by the New York Times. But, Neil Young topped the reviews the evening he dined at Gather when he said, “you hit a lot of great notes at this restaurant.”
We have enjoyed great success since the initial launch of Gather, hosting guests from all over the world who wanted to dine with us, specifically because they knew they would feel good about what they were eating. We have always been committed to sourcing ingredients from the best purveyors in the Greater Bay Area. From organic produce grown on an organic rooftop farm in Berkeley to cheeses ethically produced in Marin, we have always strived to serve not only what tastes best, but what is best for our community and our planet.
