Dingell, Area Restaurant Leaders Discuss Pandemic's Effect on Independent Restaurants

Press Release

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) joined Michigan independent restaurant owners to discuss the pandemic's effect on the industry and legislation she supports in Congress to provide relief. Joining Dingell were Ari Weinzweig, co-founding partner of Zingerman's community of businesses; Melvin Parson, Executive Director of We the People Growers Association in Ypsilanti; and Ping Ho, owner of Marrow in Detroit; as well as Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), the leader of legislation in Congress to provide much-needed assistance to the independent restaurant industry.

An archived video of the event is available here.

The restaurant industry has been uniquely devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is particularly true of independent restaurants, which account for more than three-quarters of all restaurants and bars in the United States. The restaurant sector is the top contributor to unemployment rolls across America. In April alone, 5.5 million restaurant workers lost their jobs, accounting for 27 percent of total job losses in the month.

"Restaurants in our communities are the gathering places, we celebrate important occasions, let down at the end of a week, bring families together, relax with friends. They simply become the heart and soul of our communities where we make lasting memories. The industry has weathered a lot, but nothing like the very real challenges put on them by the pandemic," said Dingell. "Institutions like Zingermans's restaurant that provide jobs, feed us, donate to so many, and help feed the hungry are really going through hard times and none of us can ever imagine there not being there. But that is the reality we are talking about, It's critical that Congress works together to provide much-needed assistance to the industry. I'm proud to join Rep. Blumenauer's bipartisan legislation to establish a restaurant revitalization fund to support the independent restaurants that are the heart and soul of our communities."

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In Congress, Blumenauer has introduced the RESTAURANTS Act -- which is cosponsored by Dingell -- that would provide much-needed assistance to the industry by establishing a $120 billion restaurant revitalization fund at the Department of Treasury. Funding under the program would be available to food service or drinking establishments that are not publicly traded or part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name.

"Congresswoman Dingell was one of the very first to cosponsor our RESTAURANTS Act because she knew that it was hard to imagine our communities without independent restaurants, and that many of these beloved corner coffee shops, diners and cafes may not be able to reopen their doors without federal assistance," said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). "I'm grateful for her leadership on our bill, which will ensure that these local restaurants -- and their workers -- get the support they need to get through this unprecedented health crisis."

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