What happens with the Restaurant Revitalization Fund now?
This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs for the National Restaurant Association, to talk about the status of that fund and some other issues.
Congress allocated $28.6 billion in funds for grants to restaurants. They were quickly snapped up, but more than 3,000 operators whose grants were approved were later told that their funds were rescinded due to court rulings in lawsuits filed by those who claimed that the process was discriminatory—the funds were first targeted at women and people of color. The fund has since been closed, with little indication that those 3,000 will get their funds.
There is a proposal to add more money to the fund. Kennedy, who has been with the association since 2019, talks about the chances that will happen. He also addresses other issues on Capitol Hill that could affect restaurants, including labor and immigration.
(Note: The Association is the majority owner of Restaurant Business.)
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