Restaurant, Food Service Grants To Be Awarded By County
ANNAPOLIS, MD — The prolonged restrictions on how Anne Arundel County restaurants and food trucks can operate during the coronavirus pandemic have caused financial hardship. Grants of up to a maximum of $10,000 were announced Tuesday by county leaders to bolster restaurants and food service businesses.
Anne Arundel County is committing $5 million of its federal CARES Act money to the grant program, which is designed to help food industry businesses coping with less revenue because of coronavirus-related restrictions and loss of consumer confidence. In addition the county will expand the humanitarian relief fund to include food service workers who have lost wages and tip income due to the pandemic.
“From the beginning of this pandemic, our restaurants and their hard-working employees have been left with only a fraction of the revenue that they need to survive,” Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a news release. “That’s why we worked with Economic Development to create the largest assistance program of the pandemic to date for this industry and its people.”
On Oct. 2, county mall food courts were allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity. They were previously only open for carryout service.
Bars and restaurants that serve alcohol can keep their indoor operations open until 11 p.m. Though these establishments are allowed to stay open until then, they must stop selling alcohol by 10 p.m. Before Pittman's latest executive order, these establishments had to cease all indoor service at 10 p.m.
The businesses may continue outdoor alcohol service past the 11 p.m. indoor curfew. All restaurants and bars are still capped at 50 percent capacity. They may only serve seated customers.
The Restaurant and Food Service Grant Program just announced is targeted to food trucks, catering businesses, bed and breakfast establishments and dine-in, non-drive-through restaurants. These businesses will be able to use the grants to cover operating expenses such as rent, payroll and utilities, and costs associated with the purchase of personal protective equipment, ensuring sanitary physical spaces and implementing online customer engagement and transactions.
Officials said the grant cannot be used for any expenses previously covered by another federal, state or local government COVID-19 related program, losses covered by an insurance policy or capital improvements to the business property.
“With the cold weather months coming, restaurant owners and food service managers are now planning on how they can continue to attract and safely accommodate customers,” said Ben Birge, president and CEO of Anne Arundel Economic Development Corporation, in the news release. “These grants can help them afford some of the costs related to their planning, as well as ongoing operational expenses so they can weather these challenging times.”
Gov. Larry Hogan recently announced that the state would provide additional money to local jurisdictions to support direct aid to restaurants. Anne Arundel County expects to receive about $5 million from the state initiative. Once received, the grant money will supplement the county grant program, bringing total aid for the Restaurant and Food Service Grant Program to $10 million.
The grant will be disbursed in the following amounts to qualified and approved businesses:
$10,000 for catering businesses, bed and breakfast establishments and dine-in, non-drive through restaurants; and
$5,000 for food trucks.
A qualified business must:
Be located in Anne Arundel County;
Have been open and operating prior to March 13, 2020;
Be in good standing with the State of Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation; and
Submit a copy of an active food service license issued Anne Arundel County Department of Health, a signed W-9 form.
Applicants also will be required to upload a voided company check to facilitate an ACH deposit of the grant amount to the business bank account.
AAEDC is currently developing a portal on its website where businesses can create an account and complete the entire application process. The application period is expected to open in mid November. For additional information, inquiries can be sent to grants@aaedc.org.
The Humanitarian Relief Fund, managed by the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation, provides temporary financial assistance in the form of a $500 Visa gift card to restaurant workers who have lost wages, including tips, as a result of reduced hours or reduced customers in restaurants and food service businesses. To apply, visit www.aawdc.org/relief or call 410-424-3240 for more information.
This article originally appeared on the Crofton Patch
