1,800 Iowa restaurants qualify for pandemic relief but given nothing, IRC pushes Congress for change

DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - About 1,800 Iowa restaurants qualified for government funding through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, but were not given anything.

The Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) is calling Tuesday a ‘National Day of Action’, to urge Congress to to provide more money to the fund and help struggling restaurants.

The Iowa Restaurant Association, a group in support of the action, says it’s part of a congressional push to ask legislators to fully fund the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

“The Restaurant Revitalization Fund was a federal program that was launched over a year ago and restaurants all over the country qualified for it,” said Jessica Dunker, President/CEO at the Iowa Restaurant Association.

Dunker says about 2,600 Iowa restaurants qualified for the funding but 1,800 were left without the help when funding fell short.

“So in the state of Iowa, only 850 of the restaurants actually received the funding that they qualified for through the program,” said Dunker.

The Iowa Restaurant Association says the state lost out on about $245 million dollars in grant money.

“The Restaurant Revitalization Fund would have been the way we could replenish what was lost and really in many cases, to move forward and push ahead,” said Dunker.

Not only is the COVID pandemic impacting restaurant revenue, Dunker says supply chain issues, the labor shortage and inflation are all contributing to the struggle for business.

“Many are looking at smaller menus. They don’t have as many tables out as they once had. They might be closed an extra day. Places that used to serve lunch or breakfast might have cut service. It’s really been a difficult time and difficult for restaurants across the country to accept. So we really hope that Congress will step up and act,” said Dunker.

There is bipartisan support for the funding in Iowa. Senator Joni Ernst and Representatives Cindy Axne and Ashley Hinson have spoken in favor of adding dollars to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

Iowa’s restaurant and beverage industry is the second largest private sector employer in the state with more than 153,700 employees.

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