The Restaurant Revitalization Fund, created under the Democrats’ American Rescue Plan to help restaurants keep their doors open and their staff paid, has provided $151,922,477.50 to 421 restaurants in California’s 27th Congressional District, according to a report by the House Small Business Committee.
Over half of these grants – which averaged $360,860.99 – went to socio-economically disadvantaged businesses. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena), a member of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following statement on Aug. 6:
“Restaurants are essential to the vitality of our communities, yet were among the businesses most impacted by the pandemic. This threatened to cost thousands of jobs and hurt even more families. That is why, when congressional Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan to help businesses and families through this crisis we also included billions of dollars in aid specifically for restaurants.
“So far, over $28 billion has been given out nationwide, including over $151 million to 421 restaurants here in our district. This money is keeping workers paid and ensuring more restaurants can weather this crisis and be ready to reopen once it is safe to do so.
“It is especially important now as the Delta variant forces more restaurants to again limit their operations. In addition to the over $6 million in grants for shuttered venues, like theaters and museums, I am proud to have supported so much support directly into our communities.
“And yesterday, I was proud to talk about this program and the need for more RRF funding with SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman. While we continue to work to contain and defeat this virus, we cannot and will not abandon families and businesses. And the incredible job numbers from August are a testament to the success of the American Rescue Plan and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund at keeping businesses open and encouraging more job growth.”