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Since opening in 2009, Gather has operated on a simple belief: restaurants can be a genuine force for good. Located inside the David Brower Center, Berkeley’s first LEED Platinum certified building and a hub for environmental and social advocacy, Gather is surrounded by the community it reflects. Every sourcing decision, every glass poured, and every workplace practice is shaped by the conviction that food touches everything, from the soil it grows in to the people who serve it.
The Sustainability Print:
A LEED Platinum Foundation:
The David Brower Center features a hydronic in-slab radiant heating and cooling system, rainwater harvesting, and solar panels. Operating inside this building gives Gather a significantly lower carbon footprint than a conventional urban restaurant before a single ingredient is sourced.
Regenerative and Responsible Sourcing:
Gather works with farmers, ranchers, and purveyors across Northern California who prioritize organic, seasonal, and ethically grown ingredients. The standard is not just what avoids harm, but what actively restores the land and supports the people who tend it.
Waste Diversion at Scale:
The restaurant diverts tons of landfill waste monthly through a comprehensive composting program, keeping organic material out of the waste stream and returning nutrients to the soil cycle.
Low-Impact Beverage Program:
The wine list features West Coast producers committed to sustainable, low-impact viticulture. The beer selection spotlights independent Northern California craft breweries. The cocktail program is built around spirits crafted with sustainability in mind.
Cocktails for Change:
Since opening, Gather has donated over $100,000 to local and global social-good organizations through its Cocktails for Change program, turning every drink order into a small act of community investment.
Equitable Workplace as Sustainability:
Gather’s core values explicitly include fostering an equitable and uplifting workplace. The restaurant treats fair wages and team culture as inseparable from environmental responsibility. Sustainability here means the whole system, not just what happens on the farm.
Gather understands something most restaurants miss: sustainability is not just a sourcing policy, it is a set of values that runs through every decision, from the soil to the staff. Housed in Berkeley’s greenest building, surrounded by environmental advocates, and serving a community that holds restaurants accountable, Gather has built a model that integrates ecological integrity with social equity at every level. Over a million meals served, over $100,000 donated, and tons of landfill waste diverted. For Tinġo, it is one of the most complete expressions of what an intentional restaurant looks like in practice.
