As part of the California Restaurant Foundation’s Restaurants Care Resilience Fund, 132 single-unit restaurants in L.A. County, including more than 20 in the Valley region, were awarded grants this month. Valley grant recipients include Vino Wine & Tapas Room in Encino, Siri Thai Cuisine in Burbank and more than a dozen others. To qualify, restaurants had to be a single unit, employ fewer than 50 staff members, be currently open and have experienced a revenue loss of at least 20 percent from 2019 to 2020.
In March, the foundation partnered with corporate sponsors Pacific Gas & Electric Co., SoCalGas and San Diego Gas and Electric to launch the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. The companies collectively donated $1.25 million to fund grants up to $3,500 for small restaurants, with a portion of the donations going to the foundation’s hardship fund for food and beverage workers facing unforeseen crisis. Wells Fargo Co. donated an additional $250,000 to provide year-long support services to the grant recipients.
“Wells Fargo understands that small restaurants hold the identity of local neighborhoods. We know that it takes more than money to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive recovery,” said Gregg Sherkin, senior vice president of social impact and sustainability for Wells Fargo, in a statement. “We chose to underwrite the small business support services for all the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund grant recipients to ensure long-term resilience.”Grant funds may be used on payroll and related expenses so the restaurant owner can free up funds for other necessary expenses including rent, technology upgrades and outdoor dining retrofitting. Of the 318 grant recipients across the state, 65 percent are female restaurant owners and 83 percent identify as people of color.
As part of the year-long support services, the restaurant owners will receive discounts, peer-to-peer support and monthly educational learning opportunities led by experts in marketing restaurant businesses, menu review and budgeting.“The addition of the small business support services powered by Wells Fargo complements the financial grants provided by the utility companies and both are critical for long-term resilience,” Alycia Harshfield, executive director of California Restaurant Foundation, said in a statement.
Grants Given to Valley Restaurants
