3 Sonoma County Restaurants Awarded $5K Resilience Grants

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Christmas came early for three local independent restaurant owners in Sonoma County. They were among 77 restaurants across Northern California and 182 statewide to receive $5,000 grants as part of California Restaurant Foundation's Restaurants Care Resilience Fund, the fund spokesperson announced Monday.

The grant program began in response to the pandemic in 2021 to help strengthen businesses and enable them to retain employees. It has since evolved into a permanent fund to build resilience within the Golden State's restaurant community, a spokesperson for the fund said.

All grant winners are given means to purchase kitchen equipment, technical upgrades, employee training and bonuses, and unforeseen hardships. This second cycle of grants was made possible by donations from SoCalGas, The PG&E Corporation Foundation and San Diego Gas and Electric, all of which have contributed to the fund since it first began.

Here are the Sonoma County restaurants awarded grants in this latest round:

• Americana, 205 5th St., Suite A, Santa Rosa
• Quiote, 121 Kentucky St., Petaluma
• Lightwave Coffee and Kitchen, 9725 Main St., Monte Rio

In nearby Napa, there five restaurants received grants:

• Azzurro Pizzeria e Enoteca, 1260 Main St., Napa
• Winston's Cafe & Bakery, 1517 Third St., Napa
• Taqueria Rosita, 1214 Main St., Napa
• Villa Corona, 3614 Bel Aire Plaza, Napa
• Red Rock Cafe & Backdoor BBQ, 1010 Lincoln Ave., Napa

Since 2021, the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund has awarded $5.94 million in grants to 1,325 independent restaurants throughout California. The restaurants include burger joints, taquerias, bakeries, and more at the heart of every community. Many of these restaurants represent family legacies and life-long dreams.

Here are a few statistics about the restaurant owners who applied for the grant. Most have been in business for around 10 years, and 92 percent are single-unit restaurants. Of the applicants, 66 percent of the restaurants are owned by women, and 77 percent are owned by people of color.

On average, each restaurant employs 11 people — over 10,000 employees who will benefit from the resilience fund grant statewide. A new grant of up to $2,500 is directly earmarked for cooks, servers, dishwashers, and other workers when they face an unforeseen hardship.

Alycia Harshfield, executive director of the California Restaurant Foundation, discussed the most recent grant awards.

"We are thrilled to close out our biggest Resilience Fund year yet by awarding 182 restaurant owners with these business-supporting grants, especially as they enter the holiday season and new year," Harshfield said. "We are confident that our new cohort of deserving restaurant owners will use their grants to strengthen their business resiliency and further cultivate a vibrant food scene across California. SoCalGas, The PG&E Corporation Foundation, and SDG&E have been such wonderful partners to us, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to support locally owned restaurants up and down the state."

The organization actively seeks more supporters, and donations of all sizes are accepted and celebrated. Visit www.restaurantscare.org/resilience for more information.

See the complete list of Fall 2023 grantees here.