The Challenge

Most restaurants don’t make it to five years in business. If 80% fail within the first five years, what do you think it might have been like to start a restaurant in 2020 and then find yourself up against the stress, shutdowns, and changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic?

In 2025, Grubhub was looking for new ways to showcase its committment and support for small businesses in its hometown of Chicago.

So as the anniversary of COVID approached, we turned our attention to celebrating the restaurants who defied already difficult odds and excelled.

The Team

• Copywriter/Creative Direction: Zach Tarvin, Tajj Badil-Abish