52 Eateries Received COVID RRF Money In Montgomery County

CONROE-MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX — Restaurants in Montgomery County were among the more than 6,000 in Texas that received money from the Small Business Administration's Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which was passed by Congress last year as part of a sweeping coronavirus relief package.

More than $1.6 billion in funding was given to Texas restaurants. But the 6,406 Texas businesses that received funding under the program were just 34.7 percent of the 18,461 that applied to the program, which SBA is shutting down Wednesday.

In Montgomery County, grants were given to:

Conroe

• Facility Concessions Services, Inc. — $10 million
• Texas Southern Enterprise LP (Incredible Pizza Co.) — $2.04 million
• Conroe Corral Murphy LLC (Golden Corral) — $783,226.95
• 242 Pub & Grill Inc. — $454,684
• Kioku Supreme Buffet — $433,485.58
• Xue Chen Enterprises (East Buffet) — $356,872
• Dolce & Cannoli — $310,954.92
• Xin & Xin Corporation — $236,171
• Deacon Baldy's — $219,928.10
• I and M Restaurant LLC — $218,635.75
• Southern Rum Runners — $133,123.58
• 2NLT Corporation (Pho An & Sushi Bar) — $117,171
• Shenghan 999 LLC — $103,468
• Pie in the Sky — $92,901
• Dang Quesadilluh LLC — $68,392
• Lucky Start Corporation — $59,150
• Tapped Drafthouse — $51,219.48
• Kona Ice of North Conroe — $45,075.50
• Nona's Italian Grill — $34,931
• Weng's Wok — $15,877.03

Magnolia

• HeBrews Community Coffee — $3.35 million
• PDQ Meals — $362,243.90
• The Concession Shuttle — $204,801.72
• Flash Restaurants LLC — $186,108.67
• Event Enhancements LLC — $45,736
• Sandra Melancon — $29,492.50
• Little Lots Farms — $27,853.48
• GrandE Tamales — $19,581.98

Montgomery

• Proeats LLC (Taco Bell) — $1.03 million
• The Eclectic Trading Company — $270,574
• Arquitt Tacos Inc. (Chronic Tacos) — $215,617.04
• Uncle Bob's BBQ on the Lake — $182,923
• CBLG LLC (Wiches on Wheels and Dizzy Pies) — $86,966.30
• Shanahan's Bar & Grill — $53,248
• Jin Jin Enterprise LLC — $13,807

New Caney

• Ming Yi Inc. (Lin's China Diner) — $65,712
• Wichin LLC — $44,853
• Zavala SK LLC (Smoothie King) — $1,582

Pinehurst

• Shane's Saloon — $92,101
• H.W.A. Investment LLC — $11,355.96

Porter

• Supreme Hibachi & Sushi Buffet — $515,745
• Carter Cool Inc. — $25,788
• Kimberly Benz — $11,239

Splendora

• Henry Ren — $15,589

The Woodlands

• RAM Hospitality LLC — $503,800.71
• KRDH Enterprises Inc. — $414,476
• Schilleci's New Orleans Kitchen — $345,034.11
• Sri Rudra Manya LLC — $126,282

Willis

• MRK Entities LLC (Sweet Paris Creperie & Café) — $261,432.64
• Angie Bush — $121,389.65
• Borski's Tavern — $43,208.09
• William Douglas — $40,136.90

But restaurants across the country 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.

Related: These Houston Restaurants Received The Most COVID Money: List

Melissa Stewart, executive director of the Southeast Region of the Texas Restaurant Association, said TRA conducted surveys of its members during the pandemic and found that an estimated 10 to 13 percent of Texas restaurants closed permanently during the first two months of the coronavirus pandemic. Over a year later, the estimate of closed Texas restaurants is up to 21 to 22 percent.

Stewart estimated that the Greater Houston area had around 13,000 restaurants before the pandemic and said that number is closer to 10,000 now.

"[The restaurant industry] was one of the hardest hit in the pandemic," Stewart said. "We were closed. We stayed closed, and ... so many folks in our community rely on us for nutrition, not even just the parties and the fun.

"We've got a number of allies in Congress, and they're working hard. Thankfully, we've gotten what we've received, but to be at this stage and know that there is so much more need and not be able to fund it is frustrating."

In an email to applicants last month, the SBA said the RRF program will be "disabled" July 14. At that time, it will stop accepting applications. Nationally, the program has handed out grants to 105,000 restaurants, but another 265,000 applicants are still waiting. A bill to replenish the fund has been introduced in Congress, but it has not moved forward.

Despite restaurant industry lobbying for Congress to replenish the fund, lawmakers have been more focused on reaching a compromise on the Biden administration's infrastructure improvement bill.