Laguna Beach Area Restaurants Received Revitalization Grants

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — The Restaurant Revitalization Fund doled out more than $28.6 billion in grants to eateries that sustained financial losses during the pandemic, including several Laguna Beach area restaurants.

The fund was established as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of March 2021. More than 101,000 restaurants received grants as of June 30, according to the Small Business Administration. The average grant size was $283,000.

Restaurants were eligible for up to $10 million in grants, with no more than $5 million per location. Funds don’t have to be repaid if they are used for eligible expenses, such as payroll or rent, through March 11, 2023.

The following Laguna Beach area restaurants were among those that received a Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant. Check here for a full, searchable database.

Business: THE DRAKE IN LAGUNA LLC

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $1,296,965

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Business: LUMBERYARD RESTAURANTS INC

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $669,888

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Business: GIBELLINA LLC

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $358,294

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Business: SANDPIPER LOUNGE INC

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $344,530

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Business: MAR & MAR CORP

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $279,253

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Business: SUSHI LAGUNA BEACH MONTAGE LP

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $229,013

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Business: NIRVANA SPECIALITIES INC

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $84,348

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Business: Gu Ramen Inc.

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $46,036

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Business: TABLO LAGUNA-CAITLIN FOLGNER & KRISTA KRACH SURPRENANT

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $32,319

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Business: MJH HOLDINGS INC.

• Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
• Grant amount: $30,427

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Calls for more aid from industry leaders

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund received praise from industry members for its simplicity, but many applicants were shut out when funding dried up in June.

Nationwide, restaurants submitted more than 278,000 applications, totaling $72.23 billion in requested aid. Around 177,000 applicants were denied grants.

There was also confusion about prioritization of funds. The SBA originally prioritized funding for restaurants owned by women, veterans and underserved populations. Some business owners sued, and the SBA ended the practice; around 3,000 priority applicants had grants rescinded, according to The New York Times.

The restaurant industry has lost around $290 billion in sales since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association. Some 90,000 restaurants closed permanently or long-term.

The bipartisan Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act proposal would provide $60 billion in additional funding for the program if passed.

“The success of the RRF so far is, in large part, because the SBA focused on making the program simple and accessible,” NRA Vice President Sean Kennedy said in a statement. “We appreciate how swiftly they were able to establish a program unlike anything they had administrated before, and believe it has the structure to sustain additional funding.”

Editor’s note: This post was automatically generated using data from the SBA. Feedback can be sent to content@patch.com.