TAMPA, Fla. — The American Rescue Plan Act established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) to help eligible businesses keep their doors open.
Restaurants had until March of this year to use the rest of that money.
The Senate failed to pass the Small Business COVID Relief Act, which would have replenished the fund with $40 billion.
Feed The Soul Foundation is stepping in to aid marginalized entrepreneurs in the culinary industry.
What You Need To Know
- Three Tampa restaurants were surprised with a $10,000 grant
- Cohorts of the Feed the Soul Foundation will work alongside experts and consultants during the six-month program that will further their growth and knowledge of the restaurant industry
- The Senate failed to pass the Small Business COVID Relief Act, which would have replenished the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) with $40 billion dollars
According to a study by the Independent Restaurant Coalition, more than half of independent restaurants and bars without federal aid anticipate they will close within six months.
Falayn Ferrell is the Chairwoman of Feed The Soul Foundation and says bigger banks are not investing in restaurants because it is so competitive.
“The restaurant industry is still recovering from labor shortages,” said Farrell. “They are still dealing with inflation and supply chain issues. Yes, we’re out of the pandemic and the world is ‘open again,’ but small businesses are still feeling the weight of the pandemic on their dollars.“
Three Tampa restaurants were surprised with a $10,000 grant including:
Mr. B’s Southern Kitchen menu includes a unique blend of homemade ingredients and recipes and a lot of heart and soul.
“We make our own honey hot sauce in-house. I come in early in the morning and we do it from scratch,” said Chef Ninkia Green. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s fulfilling at the end of the day when you see people are pleased.”
That has kept the Chef and her brother Calvin Jefferson going since they opened their restaurant six years ago. Green says things took a turn when COVID-19 hit.
“That’s an experience that I never want to go through again,” she said. “I lost a lot of staff during the pandemic.”
Mr. B’s staff includes a percentage of second-chance employees who have previously been a part of the prison system.
She worked extra hours just to keep the business afloat. In 2020, they were losing between $2,000 and $3,000 per week.
“As fast as it was coming in; It was going out,” she added.
Green says black-owned businesses were especially hit hard at that time.
“It’s tough to be a minority [owned business] because it’s a lot more expected of you,” she adds.
According to the Independent Restaurant Coalition, 500,000 restaurants and bars face an uncertain future due to lost revenue and increased debt over the past 22 months.
Minority-owned businesses often face heightened challenges and disparities when securing business funding.
Unfortunately, Mr. B’s business suffered even greater losses when it was hit by an uninsured driver.
“It was miraculous that none of us got hurt. Somebody drove a car right through the restaurant,” she described.
The restaurant was showcased on the Food Network’s ‘Restaurant Impossible’ and received support from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). However, the fund has now run dry. The Feed The Soul Foundation grant program was recommended to Green by her customers.
She was surprised by a call that her business was awarded the grant while interviewing with Spectrum Bay News 9.
“You have just made my day!” she responded.
It’s funding she’ll put towards fixing the restaurant’s roof and wall.
Cohorts of the Feed the Soul Foundation will work alongside experts and consultants during the six-month program that will further their growth and knowledge of the restaurant industry.
Chef Green is grateful her community and customers gave their input and guidance.
“They said: ‘We want to keep you in the neighborhood’, she recalls. “Me and my brother, we put a lot into this. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of struggles. It really shows you what you’re made of”
According to Green, the award is proof that their hard work and dedication to the business are paying off and will ultimately benefit the community tenfold.
