To earn our Certified Turtle-Friendly Restaurant designation, a service establishment must not provide customers any items in plastic bags, serve plastic straws, or use expanded polystyrene (i.e., styrofoam) products of any kind. These throw-away plastics are among the most frequently littered items we find on beach and marsh clean ups, and cause harm to all marine life, including sea turtles, if leaked into the ocean.

We verify restaurant compliance through observation, placement of occasional random blind take-out orders, and annual on-site interviews with owners. We don’t proscribe how restaurants choose to be more sustainable to earn the designation. We provide window decals and significant social media recognition for each establishment meeting the criteria. We may expand the program in future years and include additional turtle-friendly criteria.

Please join us in patronizing these restaurants and making a point to thank them for their turtle-friendly efforts!

Cafe on 80 Deli & Bakery

Chamacos Tacos

Coco’s Sunset Grille

Mi Vida

North Beach Bar & Grill

 
Pier 16

Salt Island Fish & Beer

Sea Wolf Tybee

Sundae Cafe

The Deck Beachbar & Kitchen

Tybean Art & Coffee Bar

 

If you visit a Tybee  restaurant that you believe qualifies as Turtle-Friendly, send us a note and we’ll check it out. We’ll be talking to more Island restaurant owners about the benefits of joining this program and reducing single-use plastics in their operations.