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Press Conference: Today, Feb. 21 at 3pm at Alpine Banquet House 11141 Roosevelt Rd. in Westchester IL at Wolf Rd.
Statewide Restaurants Demand Senate Vote on $48 Billion Bill after 200-Day Delay; Illinois Senators Duckworth & Durbin Slammed for Lack of Action & Lack of Support for Restaurants
Press Release Contacts
Roger Romanelli 773-531-6370, Coordinator of Chicago Restaurants Coalition (CRC) and U.S. Restaurants Coalition (USRC)
Jodi Agee 312-287-9864, Jefferson Tap, Chicago IL
Jimmy Bannos 312-735-6300, Heaven on Seven Restaurant, Chicago IL
Len DeFranco 815-341-2380, Hawkeye's Bar & Grill, Chicago IL
Kim DiPofi 630-336-6190, Pompei Restaurant, Chicago IL
Mary Kay Tuzi 312-296-6740, Twin Anchors Restaurant, Chicago IL
Anthony Waller 773-704-3544, Catering Out the Box, Chicago IL
Jim Romas 708-710-2744, Citrus Diner & Wolfy’s Restaurant, Westmont IL & Chicago IL
Christine Simms 630-795-9956, Chief Operating Officer, Greek American Restaurant Cooperative, Des Plaines IL
CHICAGO & CHICAGOLAND IL - Illinois voters and restaurant owners are slamming U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin for their inaction to fix the U.S. Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) grants program - - and refusing to address the desperate financial plight of thousands of restaurants denied federal COVID-19 survival grants.
As of June 30, 2021, 177,000 restaurants across America - - including thousands in Chicago and across Illinois - - were denied RRF grants by the Biden Administration without explanations. Many of these restaurants have closed since then, and many more are on the brink of going out of business and taking their 2 million jobs with them.
Hundreds of billions in restaurant sales have been lost during the pandemic, largely due to draconian government restrictions. Over the past 4 months, the Omicron variant has decimated sales further. So far, 90,000 restaurants have closed during the pandemic according to Fortune.Com (https://fortune.com/2021/11/14/covid-restaurants-closed-investing-in-restaurant-industry/) eliminating about 1 million jobs. If the 177,000 restaurants needing grants don't get them immediately, America will see a new wave of business closures, job losses and vacant storefronts.
Now, the Chicago Restaurants Coalition wants Senators Duckworth and Durbin to publicly demand an up-or-down vote on Senate Bill 2675 by Friday, March 4 - - 209 days after the bill was introduced on Aug. 7, 2021. As of today, the bill has an estimated 57 supporters including 7 Republicans and swing-vote Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ.) Essentially, the bill needs only 3 more votes. If approved, it would allocate $48 billion more grants to save the 177,000 restaurants with RRF grants averaging $283,000.
For the 101,000 restaurants that received grants last summer, these funds kept many of them alive. The problem? The winners represent only 36% of total applicants, meaning the remaining 64% were denied! In most educational settings or businesses, a 36% success rate would be a disaster. Indeed, RRF is a national financial crisis for the 177,000 restaurants shut out.
Also, the Coalition wants Duckworth and Durbin to ask President Joe Biden to support the bill. Biden has said nothing about Bill 2675 to fix this egregious mistake. On July 22, 2021, he last spoke about challenges facing restaurants and told restaurants to pay higher wages. The Coalition is deeply disappointed in Biden's refusal to champion the bill.
Despite Durbin being the Senate’s Assistant Majority Leader and Duckworth on the Small Business Committee, neither co-sponsored the bill on Aug. 7, 2021 when it was introduced. Since then, neither demanded a Senate roll-call vote nor called for committee hearings on the bill. Restaurants across Illinois have good reason to question their Senators' commitments to their businesses and jobs.
After intense lobbying by the Coalition, Durbin finally co-sponsored the bill on Feb. 3 and Duckworth on Feb. 10. Durbin waited 180 days, Duckworth 187 days. Why? Restaurants make up the largest business sector in Illinois and provide the most jobs, and restaurants have been decimated during the pandemic. Durbin and Duckworth should be ashamed of their conduct.
With an estimated 57 supporters right now, Bill 2675 is ripe to pass. With restaurants mobilized across America, which Senator will dare to vote against this bill? Can 3 more votes be found? We won't know until the bill is called, so it's unconscionable that Durbin, Duckworth and other Senate leaders haven't called the vote or held committee hearings yet. Other Senate bills have been called when the Democrats didn’t have the votes. The deliberate stalling of the RRF bill is infuriating.
In May 2021 the Biden Administration awarded $29 billion non-repayable grants to 101,000 restaurants, representing only 36% of applicants. The other 64% of applicants (177,000 restaurants) were denied grants without explanation. By contrast, the administration and the Senate awarded COVID-19 survival grants to 72% of live entertainment venues that applied ($14 billion total) and 100% of airlines that applied ($50 billion total.) The 177,000 restaurants denied RRF grants provide far more businesses, jobs and tax revenues than all of the entertainment and airlines companies combined.
Typically, government assistance programs are based on financial need. But when awarding RRF grants, the Biden Administration gave millions to restaurant owners worth millions or billions already. NBA legend Michael Jordan’s restaurants got $6 million. Restaurants owned by the owners of mega developer Sterling Bay got $5 million. Chef Rick Bayless, who earned $109 million selling his Frontera Foods products to ConAgra Corporation, got $3.5 million. Compared to most restaurant owners, Jordan, Bayless and Sterling Bay’s owners have larger bank accounts. The Biden Administration's RRF decisions are among the most controversial in federal government history.
The Chicago offices of Durbin and Duckworth are still closed to the public despite libraries, airports, post offices and other government offices open. On Feb. 7 and Feb. 14, the Coalition was unable to hand-deliver letters to Durbin and Duckworth asking them to call the vote on Bill 2675. Why are Durbin and Duckworth hiding from Illinois voters? Are they trying to hide the Biden Administration's disastrous RRF program that achieved only a 36% success rate and gave millions of dollars to billionaires and millionaires across America - - instead of helping family-owned restaurants survive? The March 4 deadline is set for Durbin, Duckworth, Biden and the Senate to deliver $48 billion grants and save 177,000 financially-starved restaurants. For more information:
Roger Romanelli Coordinator/Chicago Restaurants Coalition and United States Restaurants Coalition Executive Director/Fulton Market Association
P: (773) 531-6370
917 W. Washington Blvd. #225 Chicago IL 60607
FMA is a non-profit agency serving Chicago since 1996, which coordinates CRC and USRC.
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