Congresswoman Cori Bush Encourages St. Louis Restaurants to Apply for Relief through the American Rescue Plan
St. Louis, MO – Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) announced that restaurants and other food and drink establishments in St. Louis City and County can now apply for direct relief through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).
The $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund was created by the American Rescue Plan that Congresswoman Bush helped pass earlier this year. 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.
“St. Louis’ locally owned restaurants are part of the heart and soul of our city,” said Congresswoman Cori Bush. “These restaurants have made St. Louis a destination for food lovers from all over the world, while also serving as places where our communities can come together and share a meal. These beloved businesses are the economic backbone to our communities by providing jobs for so many St. Louisans. They have been hit hard by this pandemic, and I’m proud our work on the American Rescue Plan will deliver the relief they need to continue feeding St. Louis and building an equitable and vibrant region.”
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund application portal can be accessed at https://restaurants.sba.gov/requests/borrower/login/. Entities that work with Square or Toast, do not need to register beforehand on the portal.
- Find a funding guide HERE and a sample application HERE.
- Visit SBA.gov/restaurants for more information.
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
The Congresswoman notes that in considering RRF applications, the Small Business Administration is comparing how much money each establishment made in 2019 compared with their earnings during the pandemic in 2020. The 2020 earnings include any money received as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as profits, and from that level RRF money would aim to bring them back to 2019 levels. For potential challenging cases where some owners took no salary or less money and are still struggling even though their business looks fine, establishments can reach out to SBA directly or to the Congresswoman’s office (https://bush.house.gov/services/help-federal-agency) for help facilitating conversations with SBA representatives.
###
Congresswoman Cori Bush represents Missouri’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She is also a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus. She is a registered nurse, single mother, and an ordained pastor. Following the murder of Michael Brown Jr. by a now-terminated Ferguson police officer, she became a civil rights activist and community organizer fighting for justice for Black lives on the streets of Missouri and across the country.