Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today encouraged local restaurant owners to take advantage of a new relief program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, enacted under the American Rescue Plan. Beyer serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means, which drafted much of the legislation.

The Small Business Administration is now accepting applications for direct relief through the Restaurant Relief Fund via its online portal. In the first two days after the portal launched, over 180,000 restaurants across the country applied for assistance, a majority of which are owned by women, minorities, or veterans.

“The Restaurant Revitalization Fund was a core part of the American Rescue Plan’s focus on saving small businesses and protecting jobs, and I am extremely hopeful that it will the program will be a success,” said Rep. Beyer. “Democrats listened to restaurant owners across the country who spoke up about the need for this, and that ongoing need has been reflected by the huge number of applications in the first days after the portal was launched. I strongly encourage Northern Virginia restaurant owners who are eligible to apply for relief through the Small Business Administration, and I will continue working with my colleagues to help support small businesses and create jobs.”

The $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund was created by the American Rescue Plan, which Rep. Cartwright helped pass earlier this year, incorporating key provisions from the RESTAURANTS Act, of which Beyer was a cosponsor. The 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.

Entities eligible to apply include:

• 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

A funding guide is available here with a sample application here, and potential applicants may visit SBA.gov/restaurants for more information.