Geneva restaurant to charge 25 cents for tap water

Changed "The Conservation Fund" to "The Conservation Foundation"

The thought of paying 25 cents for a glass of water in a restaurant may be startling to some diners, but for patrons at Stockholm's restaurant and microbrewery in Geneva, that money would be going to a worthy cause.

Today marks the start of World Water Week, and that resonates greatly with Robb Cleave, who has worked at Stockholm's as a server, bartender and host for the past decade.

For nearly as long, Cleave has also been the volunteer coordinator for the Kane County Forest Preserve District. In that role, he has organized many events for helping improve the Fox River and the various forests in the county.

Put those two "hats" together on one head, and it was easy for Cleave to see a connection in which the restaurant could help with conservation as well.

"I came up with the idea to charge 25 cents for a glass of water, with 100 percent of that money being donated to The Conservation Foundation to protect land and rivers," Cleave told us while waiting our table at Stockholm's last week.

The 25-center water fundraiser also starts today at Stockholm's. As a coincidence, as much as anything else, World Water Week is being hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute in Sweden.

"It takes good, clean water to make our delicious beer, so this is a perfect fit that we here at Stockholm's have a stake in protecting our most important natural resource of H2O," the restaurant/brewery at 306 W. State St. says in its newsletter.

There is little doubt that a restaurant operation relies on water, so the gesture of doing something to protect it makes sense. The Conservation Foundation, established in 1972, has helped preserve more than 35,000 acres of open space, restored and cleaned miles of rivers and streams, and educated thousands of kids by engaging them in nature and the outdoors.

"We're going to try it for a short time and see what our customers say," Cleave said. "There will be information at each table, so everyone knows and understands what we are doing."

I'm guessing most patrons at Stockholm's, which has been a popular dining spot for many years, will support the cause without hesitation.

The good thing about this idea is that the money would go toward a worthy cause, as those of us living near the Fox River certainly understand the benefits of keeping a river, its banks and nearby forests clean. Those who may balk at such a notion should consider that it might not be long before we see all restaurants charging a small fee for water. If we can pay for bottled water, it would stand to reason it wouldn't break the bank to pay a bit for water at a restaurant because, after all, employees are being paid to serve it and clean the glasses.

Ready for a beer?: It's set back in an old St. Charles neighborhood near some other retail and commercial businesses, so D and G Brewing is picking up on what seems to be a trend.

That trend is that local breweries and taprooms making craft beer are turning up in spots that are large enough to allow for that type of storage and beer-making hardware.

D and G Brewing opened last week at 303 N. Fourth St., giving it a similar feel to the popular Penrose Brewery Company at 509 Stevens St. in Geneva that also sits among other retail and businesses off the beaten path.

For those who love homemade brews, this is a trend they welcome with open arms - and mouths.

Customers not crabby: The early reviews for Crabby Boil are giving high marks to Batavia's newest seafood restaurant, which opened last weekend.

Crabby Boil moved into the building at 220 Randall Road near Menard's. It was previously an Italian fast food joint, and has been empty for several years.

It had crossed my mind on several occasions when going by the empty building that it was certainly going to take a unique eatery to set up shop there and make customers take notice.

We don't put full faith into social media channel reviews because friends and family can be the ones giving high-fives to a new business. And you also don't want to believe those slamming a restaurant because you never know if those people do that everywhere they go. It's always best to go see for yourself.

But, overwhelmingly, Crabby Boil is getting high marks for food and service. We'll give it a try ourselves soon, as will many others, I'm sure.

More ice cream?: Drivers traveling through the busy Randall Road and Fabyan Parkway intersection may someday be tempted to stop for ice cream or a bite to eat - if an application from Oberweis Dairy for its dairy store, and adjoining pizza and burger restaurants there continues through the planning process.

Plan commissioners in Geneva would be the next to hear about the proposal for an Oberweis location on an outlot at 2100 S. Randall Road.

The location map would be updated after plan commission consideration, but we do know the request is for the northwest corner of that intersection, in front of the At Home store.

BlackBerry's days numbered: I haven't been to the Blackberry Bar & Grill near Elburn in years, but did stop in on occasion with other reporters or sales people from the newspaper many years ago.

Much like Cotti's in downtown Elburn, it was nice to know there were some great burger-and-a-beer joints near my first newspaper office along Main Street (Route 47). My office, at that time, was right across the street from Anderson's grocery store, and Cotti's was set behind that store in a small brick structure.

Ironically, that area is now a restaurant and bar called Eddie Gaedel Pub and Grill.

But I can imagine how regular patrons must feel about Blackberry Bar & Grill being obtained by the Illinois Department of Transportation and closing for good at some point in the near future.

IDOT must have some intersection plans for this spot at the corner of Route 47 and Main Street (the one that runs east-west into Batavia).

It's never fun to lose a favorite watering hole that features good food and good friends. That is what almost all of these types of restaurants represent. But it is especially true in small, rural towns.

A clean bill: These are the best words you can hear from your doctor during a six-month checkup if you've undergone two surgeries and various chemo treatments for bladder cancer: "Everything looks good."

I heard that last week, and it was certainly nice to hear.

As I did before when this ordeal started for me a couple of years ago, I encourage anyone who feels discomfort or sees blood when relieving themselves to get to the doctor right away.

So far, that's looking like the smartest thing I ever did.

dheun@sbcglobal.net