The Restaurant Bridge Fund aims to provide competitive grants to eligible restaurant and food services establishments that have experienced significant economic distress due to the COVID-19 public health emergency and made plan to respond and adapt to these challenging circumstances. Full-service restaurants, including limited-service restaurants, fast food restaurants, and food service providers such as bars and taverns with a tavern license, wineries, breweries and distilleries with a tavern license, bakeries, cafes, delicatessens, coffee shops, vending trucks or carts, food trucks, caterers, food courts, and cafeterias would be eligible to apply for the Restaurant Bridge Fund. The funds will support general operational expenses (rent/mortgage/docking expense, payroll, insurance, fuel for mobile vendors, and/or utilities), and expenses incurred related to winterization or COVID-19 preparation.

The Restaurant Fund will award at least 700 grants for eligible businesses with consideration to economic distress, business viability, length of revenue generating operations, and District resident employment. Additionally, 15% of the funds ($5.25M) will be set aside for businesses that are eligible to be a Resident-Owned Business (ROB) and Small Business Enterprise (SBE); and at least one of the following: at least

51% owned by economically disadvantaged individuals OR at least 51% owned by a woman or a majority of women. Owners of multiple businesses may apply for each business separately, as long as each business has a separate EIN, up to a maximum of 5 businesses.

The Restaurant Bridge Fund will be open to businesses that meet the following criteria:

• Must be located in the District of Columbia

• Must employ at least one District resident, may include owner.

• Must be currently open & operating.

• Business must have been revenue generating prior to October 1, 2020.

• If the business opened after March 17, 2020 and before September 30, 2020, the business must have generated a minimum of $25,000 in revenue.

• Must have a DC Business License

• Maximum of $10 million in annual revenue for 2019 and/or $7.5 million in revenue as of September 30, 2020.

• Franchises must be independently owned & operated.

• Must demonstrate financial distress of 25% in decrease in revenue during COVID-19.

• Must be Local Business Enterprise (LBE) eligible.

• Must have a current Certificate of Clean Hands (dated within 90 days prior to application date)

How to Apply?

Due to the upcoming Holiday observances, the Restaurant Bridge Fund application will be open for three (3) weeks, opening on Monday, December 7, 2020 and closing on Monday, December 28, 2020 at 5:00 PM/ET.

• Apply for the Restaurant Bridge Fund Today

For More Information

For more information on the Restaurant Bridge Fund and how you can prepare to apply, please review the Get Restaurant Bridge Fund Ready Checklist and review the Frequently Asked Questions. For all other inquiries related to the Restaurant Bridge Fund, please contact restaurantbridgefund@dc.gov.