Independent Restaurant Coalition Runs Ad to Support Congressional RESTAURANT Act

August 3, 2020 by Gracie Kreth
Independent Restaurant Coalition Runs Ad to Support Congressional RESTAURANT Act
Ground Zero is a blues club in Clarksdale, Mississippi that is co-owned by Morgan Freeman, attorney Bill Luckett, and Memphis entertainment executive Howard Stovall. (Photo by Deisenbe via wikipedia commons)

WASHINGTON – As Congress and the White House continue to negotiate another package of coronavirus relief, the Independent Restaurant Coalition is stepping up its effort to make sure they are included in the emergency funding this time around. 

This week, the Coalition is running a television and online advertisement, featuring actor Morgan Freeman. 

“Neighborhood restaurants we love are closing everyday, knocking a rung off the ladder of someone’s American dream,” said Andrew Zimmern, a founding member of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, host and executive producer of MSNBC’s “What’s Eating America”.

“Nearly 40% of independent restaurants are owned by immigrants,” he said. “They are America’s favorite first job, the top employer of non-white managers, and employ over one million single moms. They are passion projects and community lifelines. They are our family, and we hope this ad reminds Congress of the stakes facing their communities during the pandemic. 


“Independent restaurants simply cannot generate enough revenue to stay open and continue employing 16 million people around the country without relief from Congress,” Zimmern added.


Earlier this summer, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., with Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., introduced the Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive, or RESTAURANTS Act.

The bipartisan bill would establish a $120 billion grant program run by the Department of the Treasury to support operational costs of restaurants, bars, food trucks, catering business, and other food and drink establishments suffering due to the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding would go to help the 500,000 restaurants that aren’t publicly traded and have less than $1.5 million in revenue and would be used to pay rent, mortgage, payroll, personal protective equipment, and other similar costs — determined by comparing the businesses’ 2019 to 2020 revenue. This money will not need to be repaid.

According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurants employ about 11 million people and about 5 million people make up the food supply and delivery chain. The industry accounts for four percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Restaurant consulting agency Aaron Allen & Associates estimated one-third of restaurants will face closure in the United States, and of the Americans who lost their job in the pandemic, one in four were in the restaurant industry. 


With support in both the House and Senate, 165 lawmakers have already signed on to the bipartisan bill, and more are expected to join this week.

“The coronavirus pandemic continues to threaten millions of jobs supported by America’s small and independent restaurants,” Wicker said when he introduced the bill. “These small businesses are hurting because of the costs of restocking perishable foods, retooling their operations, and they still cannot operate at full capacity even as the country reopens. The RESTAURANTS Act would save many of these businesses, benefiting their workers and the farmers, fishermen, distributors, and truckers that rely on them.” 

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

Business

March 22, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Sens. Press Moderna Chief Exec on COVID Vaccine Price Hike

WASHINGTON — The chief executive of Moderna Inc. defended his plan to quadruple the price of the COVID-19 vaccine during... Read More

WASHINGTON — The chief executive of Moderna Inc. defended his plan to quadruple the price of the COVID-19 vaccine during a Senate hearing Wednesday by saying his company is preparing for a sharp decline in demand. With as much as a 90% drop in customers as... Read More

March 21, 2023
by Kate Michael
Report Says Female Entrepreneurs in Middle East Could Boost Economy

WASHINGTON — Given increased economic stress around the world, the official release of a new report by the Wilson Center’s... Read More

WASHINGTON — Given increased economic stress around the world, the official release of a new report by the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program on female entrepreneurship in the MENA region may be that much more relevant.  The Middle East and North Africa region has one of... Read More

March 20, 2023
by Dan McCue
Karuna Could Submit Schizophrenia Drug to FDA by Mid-Year

BOSTON — Encouraged by positive topline results from its phase 3 trial for its new therapy for adults with schizophrenia,... Read More

BOSTON — Encouraged by positive topline results from its phase 3 trial for its new therapy for adults with schizophrenia, Karuna Therapeutics announced Monday that it is on track to submit KarXT to the Food and Drug Administration for approval by summer. If that comes to... Read More

March 14, 2023
by Dan McCue
Ohio Sues Norfolk Southern Over East Palestine Derailment

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state of Ohio filed a 58-count civil lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Tuesday, seeking to hold the... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state of Ohio filed a 58-count civil lawsuit against Norfolk Southern Tuesday, seeking to hold the Class 1 railroad financially responsible for the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine that caused the release of an estimated 1 million gallons of hazardous chemicals.... Read More

March 14, 2023
by Dan McCue
Administration Lauds Boeing Jet Sale to Saudis

WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia’s nearly $37 billion purchase of new Boeing passenger jets is yet another sign of the United... Read More

WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia’s nearly $37 billion purchase of new Boeing passenger jets is yet another sign of the United States' rebirth as a global manufacturing leader, Biden administration officials declared Tuesday. Their enthusiastic assessment came just moments after Boeing announced that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund,... Read More

Novo Nordisk Plans Price Cuts for Several Insulins

Novo Nordisk will start slashing some U.S. insulin prices up to 75% next year, following a path set earlier this... Read More

Novo Nordisk will start slashing some U.S. insulin prices up to 75% next year, following a path set earlier this month by rival Eli Lilly. The Danish drugmaker said Tuesday that pre-filled pens and vials of long- and short-acting insulins will see list price reductions. They... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top