The American Rescue Plan Act passed in March 2021 established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (“RRF”) to provide funding to restaurants and other eligible businesses. The RRF is administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and will provide funding equal to pandemic-related revenue loss.

Funding is limited to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location.

Funds do not have to be repaid, if utilized for eligible expenses no later than March 11, 2023.

Who Is Eligible

Eligible entities who have experienced pandemic-related revenue loss include:

  • Restaurants
  • Food stands, food trucks, food carts
  • Caterers
  • Bars, saloons, lounges, taverns
  • Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
  • Bakeries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
  • Brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
  • Breweries and/or microbreweries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
  • Wineries and distilleries (onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
  • Inns (onsite sales of food and beverage to the public comprise at least 33% of gross receipts)
  • Licensed facilities or premises of a beverage alcohol producer where the public may taste, sample, or purchase products

How To Apply

You can apply through SBA-recognized Point of Sale (POS) vendors or directly via SBA in a forthcoming online application portal: Restaurant Revitalization Award Portal .

Participating POS providers include Square, Toast, Clover, NCR Corporation (Aloha). If you are working with Square or Toast, you do not need to register beforehand on the Restaurant Revitalization Award Portal application portal.

Registration with SAM.gov is not required. DUNS or CAGE identifiers are also not required. (This is an update from prior guidance.)

You may view a sample of the application.

Additional documentation required:

  • Verification for Tax Information: IRS Form 4506-T, completed and signed by Applicant. Completion of this form digitally on the SBA platform will satisfy this requirement.
  • Gross Receipts Documentation: Any of the following documents demonstrating gross receipts and, if applicable, eligible expenses
    • Business tax returns (IRS Form 1120 or IRS 1120-S)
    • IRS Forms 1040 Schedule C; IRS Forms 1040 Schedule F
    • IRS Form 1065 (including K-1s)
    • Bank statements
    • Externally or internally prepared financial statements such as Income Statements or Profit and Loss Statements
    • Point of sale report(s), including IRS Form 1099-K

For applicants that are a brewpub, tasting room, taproom, brewery, winery, distillery, or bakery:

  • Documents evidencing that onsite sales to the public comprise at least 33.00% of gross receipts for 2019, which may include Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) Forms 5130.9. For businesses who opened in 2020, the Applicant’s original business model should have contemplated at least 33.00% of gross receipts in onsite sales to the public.

For applicants that are an inn:

  • Documents evidencing that onsite sales of food and beverage to the public comprise at least 33.00% of gross receipts for 2019. For businesses who opened in 2020, the Applicant’s original business model should have contemplated at least 33.00% of gross receipts in onsite sales to the public.

For the purposes of this program, gross receipts do not include:

  • Amounts received from Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans (First Draw or Second Draw)
  • Amounts received from Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)
  • Advances on EIDL (EIDL Advance and Targeted EIDL Advance)
  • State and local grants (via CARES Act or otherwise)
  • SBA Section 1112 payments

When To Apply

Registration for the SBA application portal will begin on Friday, April 30, 2021, at 9 am ET. Applications will open on Monday, May 3, 2021, at noon ET.

SBA will accept applications from all eligible applicants, but they will only process and fund priority group applications on days 1-21. See “Priority Groups” below. For days 22 and until the funds are exhausted, SBA will accept applications from all eligible applicants and process applications in the order in which they are approved by SBA.

Priority Groups

  • A small business concern that is at least 51 percent owned by one or more individuals who are:
    • Women, or
    • Veterans, or
    • Socially and economically disadvantaged (see below).
  • Applicants must self-certify on the application that they meet eligibility requirements.
  • Socially disadvantaged individuals are those who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias because of their identity as a member of a group without regard to their individual qualities.
  • Economically disadvantaged individuals are those socially disadvantaged individuals whose ability to compete in the free enterprise system has been impaired due to diminished capital and credit opportunities as compared to others in the same business area who are not socially disadvantaged.

Payment Calculations

Calculation 1: for applicants in operation prior to or on January 1, 2019:

  • 2019 gross receipts minus 2020 gross receipts minus PPP loan amounts

Calculation 2: for applicants that began operations partially through 2019:

  • (Average 2019 monthly gross receipts x 12) minus 2020 gross receipts minus PPP loan amounts

Calculation 3: for applicants that began operations on or between January 1, 2020 and March 10, 2021 and applicants not yet opened but have incurred eligible expenses:

  • Amount spent on eligible expenses between February 15, 2020 and March 11, 2021 minus 2020 gross receipts minus 2021 gross receipts (through March 11, 2021) minus PPP loan amounts

For those entities who began operations partially through 2019, you may elect (at your own discretion) to use either calculation 2 or calculation 3.

Funds May Be Used For Specific Expenses Including

  • Business payroll costs (including sick leave)
  • Payments on any business mortgage obligation
  • Business rent payments (note: this does not include prepayment of rent)
  • Business debt service (both principal and interest; note: this does not include any prepayment of principal or interest)
  • Business utility payments
  • Business maintenance expenses
  • Construction of outdoor seating
  • Business supplies (including protective equipment and cleaning materials)
  • Business food and beverage expenses (including raw materials)
  • Covered supplier costs
  • Business operating expenses

For more information or assistance, please contact the tax professionals at your local Kemper office