'Wept With Gratitude': $50,000 Grant Won By Solon Restaurant

SOLON, OH — Solon's Munch, A Simple Restaurant won a much-needed $50,000 grant this week.

Chase Sapphire and The Infatuation launched a grant program to aid restaurants hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. The contest opened in July and asked supporters to name their favorite restaurant and why it meant so much to them. Munch was repeatedly named as a community favorite and must-see.

“Munch is a family owned and operated restaurant that uses locally grown and sourced ingredients. The owners are active in several of the surrounding communities by donating their time and product for so many events. During the pandemic they were providing meals to first responders and essential workers at local hospitals," one response said.

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The contest ultimately awarded $50,000 grants to 20 restaurants across the U.S., including Munch. In an interview for the contest, Munch owner Scott Hersch said he lost all of his employees during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

" For a short time in the summer, when we got PPP money, we hired them back. When that ran out, they went back to school, and my wife and I continued to operate by ourselves," he said.

The restaurant had to cut hours and struggled to stay afloat, but Munch continued to provide support to front line health care workers, offering free meals wherever possible. Meanwhile, some of their customers worked hard to keep them open.

"We had some seniors that came every week. They tipped 100 percent. We had a lot of people who were concerned, and we had organizations who were concerned. Our kids are in school here in the community, so we do a lot with the schools," Hersch said.

When Hersch and his wife, Jamie, learned of the $50,000 grant, they wept. A lot.

"We’ve cried a lot with gratitude," Jamie Hersch said.

Ultimately, the pandemic was a challenging stretch for Munch, but it brought the Herschs closer together and knit them more tightly with the community.