Work With Us

Demonstrate your commitment to Bay restoration and help save this ecologically important byproduct by joining the Shell Recycling Alliance! Recycling shells saves you money by avoiding the costs of throwing it away.

ORP regularly picks up shell from restaurants and other businesses that meet the following qualifications:

• Located in central Maryland, Washington DC, or Northern VA
• Serve a minimum of 500+ oysters per week
• Can save a covered, 32-gallon container of shells in cold storage or at a loading dock, waste room, or outdoor dumpster area for a maximum of two weeks

Meet the qualifications?

Let us know you’re interested!

ORP’s World Is Your Oyster Fest (WIYO) is a party with a purpose celebrating Chesapeake Bay oyster restoration! 

Benefits

• Introduce your food to new customers. WIYO attracts 500+ attendees from the DC, Annapolis, and Baltimore areas. 
• Meet new seafood industry contacts.
• Several months of free promotion through ORP's website, emails, and social media, as well as local press and media.

Format

• Three-hour event held on a Thursday in late September.
• Venue is the B&O Railroad Museum. Festival located outdoors under a covered pavilion.
• Guests roam festival ground sampling food and drink, learning about ORP's work, shopping from local vendors, listening to live music, and more.

Restaurant Provides

• “Small bites” of your favorite oyster or seafood dish, enough for 1.5 bites for 500-600 people. (ORP will offset your costs by donating the required seafood.)
• Two team members to serve event guests.
• Service supplies
• Branding/signage and decor for your table.
• Certificate of insurance listing Oyster Recovery Partnership as additional insured.

ORP Provides

• Tables
• Linens
• Napkins
• Utensils
• A separate cooking area with power for prep.

National Oyster Week is a food holiday/campaign to raise awareness on how oyster shell recycling benefits Chesapeake recovery efforts - and features the Bay-friendly restaurants that do it!

Benefits

• Introduce your restaurant to new seafood-loving customers
• Gain recognition for the part you play in Chesapeake Bay recovery efforts 
• Several weeks of free promotion through ORP's website, emails, and social media, as well as local press and media coverage.

Format

• Week-long food holiday event held during the first week of August (coinciding with National Oyster Day, observed annually on August 5)
• National Oyster Week campaign promotional efforts are focused in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia
• Diners are invited to a website, nationaloysterday.org, to see the list of participating restaurants and oyster specials available

Restaurant Responsibilities

• Registering to let ORP know you're participating. (2024 link coming soon!)
• Offering an oyster special of your choice. 
• Advertising that you’re participating in (we'll help by creating and sharing a marketing toolkit).
• Contributing a minimum $100 donation to ORP.
• (Optional) Participating in National Oyster Weekend media interviews and/or hosting a National Oyster Weekend event.

ORP Responsibilities

• Campaign administration and coordination
• National Oyster Week PR and marketing efforts.

Hosting a Shuck Like a Pro event positions your restaurant as the helpful educational partner that provides your guests with a face-to-face tutorial on how to safely shuck.

Benefits

• Increase patrons’ loyalty through an educational bonding opportunity
• Attract guests on a weekday evening when crowds (and sales) are typically low
• Upsell additional food and beverage items on your menu

Format

• Ticketed event where attendees pre-register to attend. ORP requests a donation of a portion of proceeds from ticket sales.
• An hour-long training with a classroom-like set-up.
• The instructor (the Pro) introduces oyster history and culture, and an overview of effort to rebuild the population through aquaculture and restoration.
• The Pro demonstrates shucking techniques -bill shucking vs hinge shucking, physics vs strength -to the group, then walks around for one-on-one instruction.

Restaurant Provides

• Event marketing support and promotional assistance to sell tickets.
• “Classroom-like” set-up, e.g.tables pushed together and covered with linens
• Oyster accoutrements: lemons, cocktail sauce, mignonette, etc.
• Dedicated wait staff (at least one depending on group size)
• 6-12 oysters per person (with more available for purchase)
• A beverage pairing is strongly recommended. Oysters pair extremely well with certain wines, beers, and spirits. This is an excellent opportunity to feature your beverage partners and upsell their products!

ORP Provides

• Shucking knives, gloves, shucking block, and towels
• The Pro Instructor
• Event marketing support
• Post-event oyster shell recycling.
• Optional: Hosted ticket sales through our website.

Whether you're planning an intimate oyster dinner or a giant festival, ORP would love to learn more! We might be able to assist with shell recycling, promotional assistance, and more. 

Contact us to share your ideas.