"Next year, North Carolina-based seafood chain Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar plans to open its first Illinois location, bringing oysters, lobster rolls, and low country boils to suburban Geneva, about 35 miles west of Chicago. Originally founded in 2007 in Carolina Beach, North Carolina, Shuckin’ Shack began franchising in 2014. It has since expanded into 16 locations across its home state, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, and Florida, according to reps. The restaurant would be the second in Illinois — LondonHouse Chicago being the other — to be part of the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch Program, a list of restaurants committed to sustainably sourced shrimp, oysters, and more. Locally, the Shedd Aquarium has organized a similar effort. The restaurant is known for a menu of oyster shooters, plus chicken wing surf-and-turf plates, family-style steam pots, and sides like hushpuppies." - Naomi Waxman
