Relief For Some MA Restaurants, But Not Enough For All | Eat Mass

MASSACHUSETTS — Welcome to Eat Mass, Patch's weekly round up of food and restaurant news in Massachusetts. Scroll down for more, including:

• The latest restaurant openings, closings and moves in Massachusetts.
• The average Massachusetts resident pays $406.21 per month for groceries —the eighth highest of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to a study released last week.
• A Norwell restaurant owner gave his employees something rare in the restaurant industry: a paid week off.
• A Cape Cod restaurant closed for breakfast last week after customers berated staff to the point some employees cried.

Have a food news tip, question or suggestion? Email dave.copeland@patch.com. Want to make sure you don't miss each week's roundup? Sign up for our newsletter and get it delivered every weekend. It's free!

Relief For Some MA Restaurants, But Not Enough For All

More than 2,500 Massachusetts restaurants received nearly $1 billion from the Small Business Administration's Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which was passed by Congress last year as part of a sweeping coronavirus relief package.

The $993 million given to Massachusetts restaurants was the sixth-highest of any state in the country. And the average award of $338,000 to businesses in Massachusetts was the highest in the country. But the 2,556 Massachusetts businesses that received funding under the program were just 37.2 percent of the 6,867 that applied to the program, which SBA is shutting down this week.

But hundreds of Massachusetts restaurants are facing an uncertain future after the U.S. Small Business Administration said last month it was shutting down the Restaurant Revitalization Fund passed by Congress as part of the coronavirus relief package.

"For these restaurant owners, it feels like insult on top of injury," Irene Li, the owner of Mei Mei Boston and the program manager of CommonWealth Kitchen's Restaurant Resiliency Fund, told the Boston Globe, which first reported this story. "It's like, 'This was supposed to be for us.'"

Patch reporters have published breakdowns of which restaurants got money, and how much, in the following cities and towns:

• Andover
• Arlington
• Beverly
• Braintree
• Brookline
• Burlington
• Chelmsford
• Danvers
• Marblehead
• Medford
• Melrose
• Natick
• Newton
• North Andover
• Peabody
• Reading
• Salem
• Stoneham
• Sudbury
• Swampscott
• Tewksbury
• Waltham
• Wayland
• Westford
• Wilmington
• Woburn

Restaurant Openings, Closing

• Beverly: A longtime Wenham favorite moved a few miles south on Route 1A to a new space in North Beverly. Grassy Roots, a breakfast and lunch place that also offers smoothies and catering, is now located at 136 Dodge Street.
• Boston (Back Bay): Described as "the seafood answer to Grill 23," the Banks Fish House is opening next week t 406 Stuart Street in the Back Bay. Owned by Chris Himmel of Himmel Hospitality Group and Chef Robert Sisca, the have two floors of dining, according to a news release.
• Boston (Beacon Hill): A company that wants to be the "Chipotle of charcuterie," is getting increased foot traffic thanks to its successful TikTok campaign. Kured picked up 800 likes on the first day it launched its TikTok presence, and has since see that number grow to 60,000, according to Eater Boston.
• Boston (Brighton): Salem-based Notch Brewing is bringing its extensive collection of session craft beers to Boston at a new location on Western Avenue in Brighton. The new taproom and Biergarten at the Charles River Speedway location opened this weekend on the corner of Western Avenue and Soldiers Field Road. The space will host food trucks and offers beer both to be enjoyed at the beer hall and to go.
• Boston (Downtown Crossing): With two locations already under its belt, Greco is becoming a booming Greek restaurant chain throughout Boston. The third location, this time on the street level at 1 Milk Street in Downtown Crossing, will offer the same quick-styled service for Greek eats.
• Boston (Government Center): The Kinsale is trying to reopen this fall.
• Boston (Seaport):

• Brookline: Livite, a juice bar and food counter with health-conscious and vegan offerings in Washington Square is prepping to add a dine-in option, and some new menu items.
• Cambridge (Central Square): The Asgard is reportedly eyeing a Sept. 1 reopening.
• Chestnut Hill: An Italian restaurant run by a James Beard Award winner has closed. Chef Ronsky's at The Street in Chestnut Hill had started as a pop-up in the shopping center, according to Boston Restaurant Talk.
• Framingham: A new Mexican restaurant is coming to the city's Saxonville neighborhood. Casa Del Taco is taking over the Concord Street space that was occupied by Mediterranean Turkish Cuisine until it moved to the Old Path Village Plaza last year.
• Hyannis: The Barnstable Licensing Board on Monday unanimously approved giving an operating license to Chez Antoine Café, a new restaurant located at 357 Main Street. Chez Antoine Café will open at the former home of Lorena Bakery & Café, and previously Box Lunch.
• Malden: It's tough to find a town without a Starbucks, especially one that's the size of Malden. Yet of the coffee giant's more than 32,000 shops around the world – 6,300 of which are in the United States – Maldonians have never had one to call their own. Until now.
• Saugus: As part of its ongoing expansion in greater Boston, Jersey Mike's Subs is opening a location on Route 1.
• Osterville: The Barnstable Licensing Board gave the green light for a new juice and smoothie bar to open in Osterville, following the board unanimously approving its business license Monday. Hometown Juice & Co. opened at 3 Wianno Avenue, the former home of the coffee shop 3 Wianno, which closed in December.
• Worcester: The Worcester Red Sox announced a series of improvements to Polar Park, including plans to host a "Taste of Worcester" event this summer, where food from local restaurants like Nuovo, Taco Calients, Akra and Chashu Ramen will be available. The team is also restoring Worcester's Sherwood Diner — which used to sit at the corner of Foster and Front streets — as a space for the WooSox Foundation.

Check, Please

The average Massachusetts resident pays $406.21 per month for groceries —the eighth highest of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to a study released last week by Move.org. Hawaii topped the list at $550 per person per month, followed by Vermont, Alaska and New York.

Meanwhile, New Hampshire, where the average bill is $183 per person per month, had the cheapest grocery bill in the nation.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Eat With Your Eyes

More Massachusetts Food News

Food trucks, craft beer returning to Salem Common: The summer and fall festival circuit's return to Salem after a year hiatus got another boost with the announcement of the Food Truck Festivals of America event at Salem Common on Sept. 25 and 26. The Second Salem Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival is set to include dozens of regional and national craft brewers along with area food trucks. Admission is free to the rain-or-shine events with beer and food items available for purchase.

Norwell restaurant offers rare perk for employees: Mike Sheehan, who opened Cheever Tavern in Norwell a year ago, gave his employees something rare in the restaurant industry: a paid week off. Sheehan closed the restaurant for a week but continued to pay his employees after seeing thier hard work and dedication during the pandemic. One of his bartenders told the Boston Business Journal it was the first time she had had the Fourth of July off since she started working in the industry.

Marblehead chef advances on 'Chopped': Making the most of pork floss, grapefruit, a pizza cookie cake and wormwood liqueur was Alex Pineda's recipe for success as The Landing of Marblehead chef won his preliminary round of "Chopped: Alton Brown's Maniacal Baskets" that aired on the Food Network Tuesday night. Pineda outlasted three challengers in preparing dishes using an eclectic mix of ingredients that ranged from the unusual to the untenable for the chefs. Pineda will compete for the $25,000 grand prize in the "Maniacal Baskets" grand finale scheduled to air next Tuesday at 9 p.m. "It's far from over," Pineda said. "But I'm excited to continue.

Quick bites: The Boston Globe polled its readers on the state's best ice cream shops....Doughnuts worth driving for in New England, courtesy of Eater Boston.

That's A Mouthful

"As many of our guests and patrons treat us with kindness and understanding, there have been an astronomical influx daily of those that do not, swearing at us, threatening to sue, arguing and yelling at my staff, making team members cry. This is an unacceptable way to treat any human. So Chef Regina and I have decided to take the day and give the staff time deep clean the restaurant, train, and treat my staff to a day of kindness."

• From the Facebook page of Apt Cape Cod in Brewster. The restaurant closed for breakfast last week after customers berated staff to the point some employees cried.

Upcoming Food Events

Thursday, July 15:

• Farmers Markets: Falmouth, Foxborough, Harwich, Melrose, Milton, Stoneham, Tewksbury, Worcester, Yarmouth

Friday, July 16:

• Framingham Restaurant Rush
• Farmers Markets: Osterville, Quincy, Worcester

Saturday, July 17:

• Framingham Restaurant Rush
• Farmers Markets: Andover, Braintree, Marblehead, Newton, Orleans, Provincetown, Wakefield, Waltham, Worcester

Sunday, July 18:

• Encore Boston Harbor's Garden Champagne Brunch (Everett)
• Casa Caña's Cardio Dance & Brunch with Everybody Fights to benefit the Miss Pink Organization's mission to provide support for breast cancer survivors and their families (Allston).
• Framingham Restaurant Rush
• Farmers Markets: Acton-Boxborough, Canton, Needham, North Andover, Swampscott, Weymouth, Wilmington

Monday, July 19:

• Framingham Restaurant Rush
• Farmers Markets: Beverly, Billerica, Truro, Worcester

Tuesday, July 20:

• Framingham Restaurant Rush
• Farmers Markets: Chatham, Lexington, Newton, Sandwich, Worcester

Wednesday, July 21:

• Framingham Restaurant Rush
• Farmers Markets: Arlington, Brewster, Dedham, Scituate, Wayland, Wellfleet, Worcester

Thursday, July 22:

• Framingham Restaurant Rush
• Farmers Markets: Falmouth, Foxborough, Harwich, Melrose, Milton, Stoneham, Tewksbury, Worcester, Yarmouth

Dave Copeland is Patch's regional editor for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).