Today, Rep. Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Sen. Sinema (D-AZ) and Sen. Wicker (R-MS) introduced the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act, legislation that provides an additional $60 billion for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).
The RRF provides grants to restaurants, bars and distilleries with tasting rooms that depend on on-site sales as well as other hospitality businesses.
“The hospitality industry has been devastated by the pandemic, and the path to recovery is far from over,” said Christine LoCascio, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States Chief of Public Policy. “This legislation provides much-needed support to restaurants, bars and distilleries as they work to get back on their feet. We applaud Reps. Blumenauer and Fitzpatrick as well as Senators Sinema and Wicker for their continued support of our nation’s hospitality industry and for their introduction of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act. We urge Congress to move quickly to enact this important legislation.”
The RRF closed for applications in May after receiving more than 362,000 grant applications totaling $75 billion for $28.6 billion in appropriated funds. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States previously advocated for the inclusion of distilleries with tasting rooms as an eligible entity in the original RESTAURANTS Act in 2020 and the initial funding provided through the American Rescue Plan Act earlier this year.