Aurora Restaurants Receive More Than $750K From City

AURORA, IL — The City of Aurora awarded more than $750,000 to local restaurants as part of its continued commitment to helping local businesses recover from COVID-19, officials announced Sunday.

To date, almost 200 businesses throughout Aurora have received grants from the city totaling more than $2 million in direct cash assistance, according to city officials. That includes $927,000 from the CERF Fund, $883,000 from the STABLE Fund and $192,000 — and growing — from Finish Line and Re-Start Retention Grant Programs.

Of the funds, $765,320.25 went directly to the restaurant sector, with 60 percent supporting restaurants in downtown Aurora, officials said.

"Although the vast majority of our restaurants are on the upward road to recovery, and several new restaurants have opened amid the pandemic, the unfortunate reality is that a handful of restaurants have closed or significantly changed their service model," officials said in a news release.

A list of how much each restaurant received can be found on the city's Facebook page.

"As requests come in from local businesses for the Finish Line and Re-Start Retention Grant Programs, the City will continue to operate with keen dedication and diligence to help Aurora small businesses – the backbone of our business community," officials said.