Restaurant Revitalization Grant: where things stand?
We and our partners at the National Restaurant Association have had ongoing conversations with the SBA since the American Jobs Plan was signed into law.
Timing: We anticipate the release of an official RRFG application, an informational SBA website, and a program guide as soon as this week or next week. Once the application is released, restaurants will have time to receive and understand the form before the application process begins.
Indicators: Included is a draft, unofficial RRFG application that has not been publicly released by the SBA. This information helped inform the Association’s FAQ, but is still under review by the SBA. Unofficial application can be found here
You may have been approached by "grant writers" to help you navigate the RRF process. While some business cases might be unique and need legal/accounting consultations, most operators should not feel they need to hire outside consultants at this point.
Efficiency: The RRFG program is expected to run on a government platform that processes grant applications similar to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The government platform that operates PPP has approved nearly four million loans in 2021.
While RRFG is a grant program, not a loan program, the PPP platform provides assurance that the system will be conditioned to meet the tremendous demand of restaurants. This is a separate platform from the SBA’s Shuttered Venues Operator Grant program, which had to temporarily shut down last week due to technical problems.
We will send the latest, most useful information as soon as we have it.
