31 area restaurants OK’d for Covid relief grants worth $4.2 million

By Cynthia Prairie
©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Thirty-one restaurants, bars and food trucks from Bellows Falls to Manchester, including four in Chester, have been approved to receive portions of the $28.6 billion federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund to help them recover from the effects of restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.  The total funding those 31 regional businesses were approved for is $4.228 million, $709,882 of which is earmarked for four Chester businesses.

Restaurants, inns and tourist businesses were particularly hard-hit during the height of Covid-19, since gatherings, dining in and travel have been severely curtailed and options had been limited to take out and delivery. That not only impacts the owners, the diners and the suppliers but also the cooks, waitstaff and support staff.

Deb and Alan Brown of MacLaomainn’s Scottish Pub on Main Street in Chester applied for a grant of slightly more than $220,000.  Said Deb Brown in an interview on Tuesday, earlier in the pandemic, the restaurant received two federal loans/grants “which allowed us to keep our full time and permanent staff on … doing whatever was needed,” including maintenance. “Because business had dropped to 15 percent to 20 percent, when (the state) cut down dining to one household per table, we were bleeding money.”

Since Late February and the beginning of March, Brown says, “We’ve been holding our own.”  Then the Browns applied for the Restaurant Revitalization grant, and one morning, “One Credit (Union) called to say that ‘someone’s trying to put a large amount of money into your account. Is this OK?’ ” Brown said she responded, “Yes please. That was the first we heard we got it and it was a huge relief. It was the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Brown says, “Some people might think that it (the grant) is a lot of money, but that is just what we have lost.”

It’s now been 15 months since MacLaomainn’s and other restaurants closed down completely for three months.  “And technically,” says Alan Brown, “we haven’t opened 100 percent because we don’t have the staff (to fill the hours) and because of the the seating guidelines.” MacLaomainn’s is a small restaurant and bar with a warm, pub-like feel that is currently open just five days a week, closing by 8 every night. Despite deck seating, the space is limited. The Browns have gone from seating for 80, inside and out, to 50, or 62.5 percent of its original capacity. And in the restaurant business, butts in seats is crucial.

The grant program was announced in late April and businesses had to apply through the Small Business Administration, which also administers the grant funds. The program used up its entire allocation was closed earlier this month.

In total, the federal government is distributing $28.6 billion to 101,004 food and beverage related business throughout all 50 states and the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Those businesses can include restaurants, bars, caterers, food stands, trucks or carts, bakeries, brew pubs, wineries and distilleries among others.

The Top 3 recipients by state are:

• California with 15,988 establishments receiving a total of $5.7 billion
• New York with 9,775 receiving $3.66 billion and
• Texas with 6,406 receiving $1.67 billion.

The Bottom 3 are:

• Wyoming with 125 establishments receiving $18 million
• South Dakota with 194 receiving $25.7 million and
• North Dakota with 171 receiving $25.9 million.

In Vermont, 366 food and beverage establishments, out of 947 applicants, were approved to receive a total of $77 million. Nationally, the SBA received 278,304, approving 101,004. The overall average grant size in the United States and territories is $283,000, according to the SBA.

The largest grant in the state — for $ 4.2 million — went to a restaurant registered to Tygate Motel Corp. in South Burlington. The smallest — for $2,172 — went to a food stand/truck/cart operation in Essex Junction.

According to the SBA, the funds are to be used for:

• Business payroll costs (including sick leave)
• Payments on any business mortgage obligation
• Business rent payments (note: this does not include prepayment of rent)
• Business debt service (both principal and interest; note: this does not include any prepayment of principal or interest)
• Business utility payments
• Business maintenance expenses
• Construction of outdoor seating
• Business supplies (including protective equipment and cleaning materials)
• Business food and beverage expenses (including raw materials)
• Covered supplier costs
• Business operating expenses

Below is the list of area establishments that qualified for grants, taken directly from the SBA list. To search through all the grants awarded, click here.

Business Name & Address	Town	Business Type	Grant Amount
MacLaomainn's LLC 52 S. Main St.	Chester	Bar, Saloon, Lounge, Tavern & Restaurant	$220,492.00
PSVT LLC 291 Pleasant St.	Chester	Bar, Saloon, Lounge, Tavern & Restaurant	$219,461.00
P&Js Country Kitchen 46 Route 103 South	Chester	Restaurant	$167,954.00
WAWD LTD 698 Route 11 W.	Chester	Inn & Restaurant	$101,975.00
Manzana Inc. 95 Middletown Road	South Londonderry	Restaurant	$189,391.89
MKT: Grafton 162 Main St.	Grafton	Restaurant	$9,251.00
Cheryl James 265 Depot St.	Proctorsville	Bakery & Restaurant	$93,939.01
KMS Inc. 164 Main St.	Ludlow	Restaurant	$204.113.00
Tavola Ristorante Inc. 68 VT Route 100 N.	Ludlow	Restaurant	$148,146.00
Ambrosia LLC 207 Main St.	Ludlow	Snack & Nonalcoholic Beverage Bar	$121,665.75
46 Depot Street Annex LLC 46 Depot St.	Ludlow	Restaurant	$70,822.00
CS McGhie Corp./Sweet Surrender Bakery 453 Colby Pond Road	Ludlow	Bakery	$11,729.97
Black Rock Steakhouse 284 River St.	Springfield	Restaurant	$431,117.95
Rusted Roof LLC 56 Main St.	Springfield	Restaurant	$37,816.80
Flying Crow Coffee Co. LLC 3 Main St.	Springfield	Snack & Nonalcoholic Beverage Bar	$26,811.00
Wentworth Financial Group Inc. 65 Springfield Plaza Road	Springfield	Food Stand, Food Truck, Food Cart	$5,272.00
John Leslie Corp. 660 Rockingham Road	Rockingham	Restaurant	$49,464.18
Wunderbar LLC 22 Rockingham St.	Bellows Falls	Restaurant	$272,894.82
Popolo Restaurant Group Inc. 36 The Square	Bellows Falls	Restaurant	$268,837.00
Ecological Industries 24 Rockingham St.	Bellows Falls	Restaurant	$130,742.00
Rydon Inc. 65 Rockingham St.	Bellows Falls	Bar, Saloon, Lounge, Tavern & Restaurant	$125,474.00
Route 7 Restaurant Associates of New England Inc. 3912 Main St.	Manchester	Restaurant	$557,128.00
The Silver Fork 48 West Road	Manchester	Restaurant	$155,595.00
North Country Ice Cream Inc. Ben & Jerry's 454 Depot St.	Manchester	Food Stand, Food Truck, Food Cart	$8,809.90
Italian Cuisine Inc. 1610 Depot St	Manchester Center	Restaurant	$192,751.00
Green Mountain Country Dining LLC 4961 Main St. Suite 2	Manchester Center	Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bar & Caterer & Restaurant	$136,399.17
JJAK Inc. 4746 Main St.	Manchester Center	Restaurant	$113,536.00
6458 Main Street Inc. 6458 Main St	Manchester Center	Inn & Restaurant	$96,087.50
Social House LLC 1716 Depot St.	Manchester Center	Bar, Saloon, Lounge, Tavern & Restaurant	$52,128.20
May Stannard 4479 Main St	Manchester Center	Restaurant	$11,340.00
Mrs. Murphy's Donut Inc. 350 Carlen St.	Manchester Center	Bakery & Restaurant	$6,579.00