Kilmer: American Rescue Plan Relief for Restaurants Available Beginning Monday

Press Release

Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) announced that restaurants in Northwest Washington will be able to apply for direct relief through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) beginning Monday, May 3, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Applicants can register on the U.S. Small Business Administration application portal beginning Friday, April 30 at 9:00 a.m. ET.

The $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund was created by the American Rescue Plan that Rep. Kilmer helped pass last month. The law incorporated key provisions from the RESTAURANTS Act, which Rep. Kilmer also co-sponsored in the previous Congress.

"Local restaurants contribute to the vitality of our communities. They've been hit hard during this pandemic, so we need to have their backs so they can continue to provide good jobs. That's why Congress worked to pass the American Rescue Plan and provide critical support to local, independent restaurants and the workers they support," said Rep. Kilmer.

Late last week, Kilmer led the entire bipartisan Washington congressional delegation in a letter to U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman requesting revisions to the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) participation criteria for Restaurant Revitalization Fund. As currently written, the criteria effectively disqualifies Washington state's distillery and craft distillery industry from receiving RRF relief. The Washington delegation is calling for revisions to the criteria to ensure small business owners have equitable opportunity to access relief from the federal program.

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund will provide restaurants and other eligible businesses with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business. The relief does not have to be repaid, provided that the funds are put toward eligible uses by March 11, 2023.

Find a funding guide HERE and a sample application HERE.
Visit SBA.gov/restaurants for more information.
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund application portal can be accessed at https://restaurants.sba.gov/requests/borrower/login/. Participating POS providers include Square, Toast, Clover, NCR Corporation (Aloha). Entities that work with Square or Toast, you do not need to register beforehand on the portal.

Entities eligible to apply:

Restaurants
Food stands, food trucks, food carts
Caterers
Bars, saloons, lounges, taverns
Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
Bakeries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
Brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
Breweries and/or microbreweries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
Wineries and distilleries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
Inns (onsite sales of food and beverage to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
Licensed facilities or premises of a beverage alcohol producer where the public may taste, sample, or purchase products

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