A unique community cafe located at 1802 N Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 

Our Mission is to operate a community destination cafe, offering craft food and beverage, prepared and served by employees, twenty-two and older, with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Gerry's Cafe opened in August, 2023 in Arlington Heights, and currently employs 32 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The exceptional employees prepare and serve delicious food and drink for breakfast and lunch. The engagement of our employees with the community members results in a feeling of joy and fosters the extraordinary acceptance of everyone. 

Gerry’s Cafe serves amazing coffee offerings, fresh baked pastries, cafe style breakfast and lunch. This nonprofit cafe is changing lives for the many capable adults in the community by offering job opportunities and competitive wages. Gerry’s Cafe now offers catering too. You can support the cafe and the employees when catering food from Gerry’s for events at home, office or schools.

This unique cafe was a grass roots effort by the two co-founders, Natalie Griffin and Amy Philpott. They formed a 501(c)(3) charitable organization to afford the build out costs of the cafe.  The non-profit organization continues to fund the cafe operations.

By supporting Gerry’s Cafe you are improving lives for an overlooked and underserved population in our community.