2 Alameda Eateries Awarded $5K Grants For Upgrades, Bonuses

ALAMEDA, CA — Dozens of Bay Area restaurants will receive $5,000 grants to help pay for equipment upgrades, employee bonuses and workforce training, including Bacogai and Monkey Thai Restaurant in Alameda.

Bacogai is a hot pot restaurant at 2651E Blanding Ave. The Main Street Monkey Thai Restaurant received the grant. It is at 1930 Main St.

The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) and PG&E Foundation named this cycle's 77 grant winners in Northern and Central California, bolstered by a $900,000 donation from PG&E to the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. The grants are designed to help local restaurant owners with less than $3 million in annual revenue, particularly those owned by women and minority groups.

Here are the other Alameda County recipients:

• Casa de Mole Inc., DBA Agave Uptown – Oakland
• Estrellas de Sinaloa Restaurant – Oakland
• Federicos Grill – Fremont
• Ikaros Greek Restaurant – Castro Valley
• La Huasteca Taqueria – Newark
• Much Ado About Pizza – Pleasanton
• Viridian – Oakland

"It is apparent that there is still a significant need for restaurant assistance, as we received 25 percent more applications this year than last," said Alycia Harshfield, the CRF's executive director. "While these grants will allow local restaurant owners to build more resilient businesses, we also hope to inspire Californians to support their vibrant local restaurant community in any way they can, whether that's through dining, sharing on social media or spreading the word to friends and family.

PG&E's latest contribution brings its total to $2.3 million provided to 444 restaurants in its service area since 2021, and the next round of funding will be available in the fall.

>> Check out the full list of grant winners here.