JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (The video above is from a previous report)
North Florida restaurants who are still suffering as a result of the pandemic will receive financial relief through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
The fund was created under the American Rescue Plan and has provided $8,301,133.22 to 44 restaurants in Florida’s 5th Congressional District.
U.S. Rep Al Lawson, who voted for the bill, says the funds are necessary to help local restaurants keep their doors open and retain their staff.
“Restaurants are essential to the vitality of our communities yet were among the businesses most impacted by the pandemic,” Lawson said. “When we passed the American Rescue Plan to help businesses and families through this crisis, we also included billions of dollars in aid specifically for restaurants....It is especially important now as the Delta variant forces more restaurants to again limit their operations.”
The Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants businesses funding according to their pandemic-related losses up to $10 million per business.
Businesses on the First Coast benefiting from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund include: The Fresh Fruit Bar, Whispers Oyster Bar & Seafood Lounge, Vale Food Company, Main & Six Brewing Company, Bay Street Bar and Grill, Hyperion Brewing and more.
According to a new study by Lending Tree, Jacksonville ranks 9th among metro areas where the restaurant industry is most likely to recover this year.
The reasons why the Jacksonville area is ranked so high in this study are because of high employment and consumer spending at restaurants.
However, for some restaurants, that rebound seems a long way off.
A Yale report found federal unemployment benefits, which ended this week, weren't the main reason people didn't return to work but instead, the availability of jobs.
Full list of FL-05 businesses benefiting from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund are:
- Little Joes Cafe By Akels (Duval County) - $ 93,544
- Phyllis Hall (Duval County) - $48,377
- P & J Projects LLC (Madison County) - $3,287,641
- The Fresh Fruit Bar (Duval County) - $ 18,150
- RGMS Inc. (Baker County) - $82,549
- Crossroads Contract Food Services Inc. (Hamilton County) - $70,484.59
- Wok N Roll Restaurant Inc. (Duval County) - $12,684
- Work & Schell Inc. (Baker County) - $48,748
- Bhalani & Sons - 3 Inc (Duval County) - $ 187,403
- Brown Shuga and Spice Custom Cakes and More (Duval County)- $2,418.13
- Xtreme Subs LLC (Duval County)- $11,021.97
- GreedySpoon Foods (Duval County)- $45,657
- Whispers Oyster Bar & Seafood Lounge (Duval County)-$291,868.2
- Natasha Williams (Duval County)- $2,954
- La Piazza Bella LLC (Madison County) - $330,953.4
- Chans Chinese 168 Restaurant Inc (Duval County)- $95,262.89
- Alesha LLC (Duval County) - $109,828.7
- Salter Restaurant Group (Duval County)- $386,790
- Vale Food Company Jacksonville LLC (Duval County)- $394,543
- Phyllis Hall (Duval County)- $48,377
- Great Wall Chinese Restaurant (Duval County)- $24,103
- Thai Blossom Bistro Group LLC (Duval County) - $4,471
- King Wok Jax Inc (Duval County)- $45,739
- Kanta INC (Duval County)- $115,171
- China Buffet of Macclenny Inc (Baker County)- $178,196
- Bhalani & Sons- 4 Inc (Duval County)- $77,491.24
- Edwin Barcus (Leon County)-$161,580
- Off the Menu Catering LLC (Duval County)-$94,866.83
- Shiva Vision LLC (Duval County) -$32,4414
- Junkanoo Shack LLC (Duval County) - $40,853.95
- El Jalisco Havana Inc (Gadsden County) -$88,762.16
- Chaunies Coffee & Such (Duval County) -$49,892.50
- Main & Six Brewing Company (Duval County) -$26,395
- Silver Cow Jax LLC (Duval County) -$8,173.81
- Dan’s Deli Florida LLC (Gadsden County) -$30,514
- Designed Events LLC (Duval County) -$276,124
- Cathy Fender (Hamilton County) -$10,792.5
- Back to the Grind (Duval County) -$44,852.57
- 926 Partners Inc (Leon County) - $156,364.5
- Hyperion Managing, LLC (Duval County) - $28,298.88
- Nightlife Innovations Inc. (Duval County) -$27,5509.1
- Bay Street Bar and Grill LLC (Duval County) -$19,2642.3
- Apollo Hospitality LLC (Duval County) -$31,7315
- DeSanto Capital Group LLC (Duval County) -$159,356