The Small Business Administration announced yesterday that it will begin registration for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. on Friday, April 30, at 9 a.m. EDT, and open applications on Monday, May 3, at noon EDT.
The online application will remain open to any eligible establishment until the program's $28.6 billion is exhausted.
The program is the first federal pandemic aid exclusively for restaurants, bars and other foodservice businesses. It was authorized by Congress as part of its $1.9 trillion coronavirus-aid package that became law last month.
Vending operators providing "blended" services like cafeterias, catering, workplace cafés and other manual foodservice offerings could be eligible.
The National Automatic Merchandising Association announced last week that the SBA has clarified qualifications for Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants to consider small businesses primarily classified as "vending."
For more information, visit sba.gov/restaurants or in Spanish at sba.gov/restaurantes.