Menendez co-sponsors $120B relief bill to help restaurants impacted by COVID-19

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) has co-sponsored a $120 billion relief bill to help restaurants greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“The social distancing and stay-at-home orders necessary to contain the spread of the virus helped flatten the curve and prevent our health system from being overrun, but the economic fallout has caused enormous pain all around,” Menendez said in a statement.

“Many local restaurants, bars and catering halls have been forced to close. Workers have been laid off or furloughed. Even those establishments that were able to quickly shift to delivery, take-out or outdoor dining, are still in the red. New Jersey’s normally bustling restaurant and hospitality industry helps drive the economy in our local communities.”

Funding through the grant program will be calculated based on revenue losses between 2019 and 2020 and can be used to cover payroll up to each worker’s annual salary of $100,000, benefits, mortgage, rent, utilities, maintenance, supplies, inventory, debt obligations to suppliers and other eligible expenses.

To ensure the funding is directed to smaller, independently-owned establishments, publicly-traded companies or chains with 20 or more locations are excluded from the grant program.

The restaurant industry has been hurt particularly hard during the pandemic with many businesses forced to close or operate at significantly reduced capacities in order to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19 – which had many establishments closed since late March.

In New Jersey, statewide restrictions on indoor dining were lifted just last week, though restaurants are still capped at 25 percent capacity for the time being.

Even with many establishments reopening, employment in the industry nationwide is down 3.1 million since February.

In April alone, 5.5 million restaurant workers lost their jobs – accounting for 27 percent of all job losses that month.

“We appreciate Senator Menendez’s support of both the Restaurant Act legislation and the restaurant industry,” added New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association (NJRHA) President Marilou Halvorsen.

“This legislation is critical in helping small businesses across New Jersey and the country. The closures of restaurants have impacted both restaurant owners and employees. Also, restaurants are the backbone of every community.”

Additionally, the Restaurants Act is supported by the National Restaurant Association and the Independent Restaurant Coalition.

In May, Menendez held a virtual town hall will New Jersey restaurant owners and industry leaders, in which he listened to their concerns and stressed the need to provide direct federal assistance both to small businesses and to state and local governments.

He is also the co-author of the bipartisan State and Municipal Aid for Recovery and Transition (SMART) Act that would target $500 billion in direct funding to every town, city, county and state with priority going to the areas with the greatest need based on infection rate and lost revenues due to the pandemic.