Lamont: $30M in relief to restaurants
Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday unveiled a plan his administration says will offer $30 million in relief funds to restaurants and other hospitality businesses impacted by the pandemic.
The governor’s office said the funds, which were approved under the state budget, would be delivered as grants to more than 1,700 businesses. The grants will arrive as checks from the state Department of Revenue Services, and range in amount from $7,500 to $49,999, the office said.
The grants are supported by funds from the American Rescue Plan, President Joe Biden’s federal
“So many locally-owned small businesses in the hospitality sector are continuing to recover from the pandemic, and any bit of relief that can be provided will help support them and their workers,” Lamont said in a statement. “These funds are being sent directly to employers to accelerate their continued growth and can be used as they best determine to help mitigate any financial losses stemming from the pandemic. I thank the Biden administration and Connecticut’s Congressional delegation for delivering these funds to our state through the American Rescue Plan Act.”
The industry was among the earliest and most noticeably impacted by the pandemic, as state-mandated lockdowns forced bars to close and restaurants to turn to takeout service or outdoor dining. When businesses were allowed to resume indoor dining months into the pandemic, serving hours were curtailed and capacity limits were established to restrict the number of patrons gathering indoors.
Those restrictions were lifted in May 2021, as vaccines became widely available in Connecticut.
Lamont’s office said the relief funding he plans to announce will include
“businesses in Connecticut’s hospitality sector that suffered financial losses stemming from the pandemic.”
Besides restaurants, the
hospitality industry includes “hotels, entertainment venues, breweries, wineries, travel services, transportation services and other businesses,” Lamont’s
office said.
On Monday afternoon, the governor was joined by state officials at a press conference announcing the grants at El Segundo, a restaurant in South Norwalk’s downtown. Also present were Connecticut Restaurant Association President and CEO Scott Dolch and Connecticut Lodging Association President Duane Schroder.
“These grants will provide meaningful help to Connecticut restaurants negatively impacted by the pandemic, most of which are family-owned businesses whose owners and employees live in and around the communities in which they work,” said Dolch. He added that since restaurants have worked to recover from the pandemic, they’ve faced inflation, workforce shortages and supply chain issues.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal described the grants in a statement as a “lifeline” for businesses in the state.
“Connecticut has some of the best restaurants, breweries, and hotels in the country, but our hospitality industry is still rebuilding from two years of debilitating losses,” he said.