This summer, dining out in the Keys comes with a side of sustainability. Restaurants and food trucks are joining the Skip the Stuff Summer campaign, a simple yet powerful pledge to hand out single-use items — like plastic utensils, straws, and condiment packets — only when you ask.
It’s a small change with a big impact: fewer plastics in our beautiful waters, cost savings for restaurants, and an easy way for visitors to travel (and eat) a little lighter.
The Skip the Stuff Summer initiative is a partnership between Surfrider Florida Keys, Monroe County government, and passionate local businesses who love the Keys as much as you do.
So next time you grab a bite, join the movement — say “no thanks” to stuff you don’t need and help protect the coral and other marine life in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Where to Eat & Skip the Stuff
Here’s where you can dine sustainably this summer at restaurants participating in the Skip the Stuff pledge:
Key Largo
Num Thai Restaurant and Sushi Bar
Tavernier
Gardenias Bistro at Island Home Garden Center
Islamorada
Love Bites Bistro at The Banyan Tree
Puerto Vallarta Mexican Bar & Grill
Marathon
Key West
This campaign runs through September 30 — but why stop there? Together, we can make “skipping the stuff” a Keys habit all year long.
Enjoy Mexican cuisine with bold flavors at Amigos Tortilla Bar on Greene Street in Key West. Image courtesy of Amigos.
Enjoy Mexican cuisine with bold flavors at Amigos Tortilla Bar on Greene Street in Key West. Image courtesy of Amigos.
In addition to the “Skip the Stuff” campaign, many businesses throughout the Keys have signed on for Reef Relief’s Skip the Straw initiative along with the Plastic Free Key West pledge for businesses in the southernmost city. Both campaigns aim to keep plastic out of Keys waterways and the ocean, primarily because marine life that ingests plastic has a high mortality rate.
If you’re looking for other ways to help our marine ecosystem, you can take a free cruise with Conch Republic Marine Army to collect trash and marine debris from sensitive mangrove shorelines. Trips depart from Marathon, Looe Key and Key West. They’ll reward your efforts by taking for to a nearby sandbar for some well-deserved relaxation and a free lunch!
Divers can take an active part in restoring coral reefs on coral planting dives with I.CARE or Coral Restoration Foundation in the Upper Keys, or Reef Renewal and Mote Marine in partnership with Capt. Hook’s in Big Pine Key.
And while you’re in the Keys, please be sure to use mineral sunscreens, which are ocean friendly as opposed to most commercial chemical sunscreens. Most of those sunscreens contain chemicals that can damage marine life DNA, induce coral bleaching, deform or kill young fish and even induce defects in young dolphins.
Ocean-friendly brands include Stream2Sea, Raw Elements, Little Hands Hawaii, All Good and Raw Love, which can be found at a variety of Keys businesses including the ones listed here by Reef Relief.