Press Release
Illinois Voters & Businesses Rally on Monday to Save 177,000 Restaurants & 2 Million Jobs; Coalition's Zoom Calls with Staffers of Senators Duckworth & Durbin Yield Little Progress & Much Frustration
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
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
Press Release
CHICAGO IL & CHICAGOLAND IL - Illinois voters and restaurant owners are holding a press conference and rally on Monday, Feb. 21 at Alpine Banquet House 11141 Roosevelt Rd. in Westchester IL. Extremely frustrated and angry, they will call on U.S. President Joe Biden and Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin to fix their disastrous Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) grants program by Friday, March 4 to save 177,000 restaurants and two million jobs across America.
The COVID-19 pandemic has cost restaurants billions in sales and millions of employees lost. 90,000 restaurants have closed per Fortune.Com: https://fortune.com/2021/11/14/covid-restaurants-closed-investing-in-restaurant-industry/. About 1 million jobs were lost. Government shutdowns, restrictions and mandates on indoor dining have unfairly portrayed restaurants as danger zones. The Omicron variant has decimated restaurant sales since Oct. 2021.
If the 177,000 restaurants denied RRF grants - - without any explanations from the Biden Administration - - don't get federal cash by March 4, America will see a wave of restaurant closures and job losses soon.
Since Aug. 2021, U.S. Senate Bill 2675 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2675/cosponsors?r=69&s=1) has called for $48 billion more federal funds to save the 177,000 restaurants denied grants. Allocating more federal funds is exactly what President Biden and the Senators did for the airlines industry - - twice! All told, the federal government allocated $50 billion while the airlines provide 600,000 jobs. Restaurants provide about 10 million jobs, but Biden and the Senators gave restaurants only $29 billion so far. It makes no sense.
Since Jan. 5, 2022, 57 Senators support Bill 2675 including swing-vote Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and 7 Republicans. With only 3 more votes needed, why hasn't this bill been called for a Senate vote by Democratic Party Senate leaders, so restaurants can see where their Senators stand?
Demanding these answers, Chicago Restaurants Coalition members held zoom calls with staffers of Senators Durbin and Duckworth on Feb. 8 and Feb. 10. While the Coalition pressured Durbin and Duckworth to finally co-sponsor the bill on Feb. 3 and Feb. 10, Durbin and Duckworth won't commit to asking Biden to support the bill and won't commit to asking Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle to call the vote on Bill 2675 immediately - - even though Durbin is the Senate's Assistant Majority Leader and Duckworth sits on the Senate's Small Business Committee, which has held no hearings on the bill. The Coalition's recent letters to Durbin and Duckworth are attached.
"I can't believe that Senators Duckworth and Durbin are sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing while world-renowned restaurants in Illinois are essentially going up in flames due to the COVID-19 pandemic," says Roger Romanelli, Chicago Restaurants Coalition coordinator and Fulton Market Association executive director.
"177,000 restaurants across America have been on the brink of disaster since June 2021, and the bill to save them was introduced in August. Essentially, Duckworth and Durbin have done nothing. Either they should act by March 4 to fix the Biden Administration's RRF program, or Duckworth and Durbin should resign. Restaurants are the cornerstones of our communities and our economy. They deserve far more respect than what they're getting today from Duckworth and Durbin whose Democratic Party controls the White House, Senate and House of Representatives."
In May 2021 the Biden Administration awarded $29 billion non-repayable grants to 101,100 restaurants, representing only 36% of applicants. The other 64% (177,000 restaurants) were denied funds without explanation. Across educational institutions and businesses, a 36% grade or success rate would be a complete failure.
By contrast, the Biden Administration and 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 provide far more businesses, jobs and tax revenues than all of the companies in the entertainment and airlines industries 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. While the jobs they provide are important, the Biden Administration's RRF award decisions are among the most controversial in federal government history.
On Nov. 15, 2021, the Coalition made a FOIA request to the Biden Administration seeking the list of all 278,000 RRF applicants. The request was denied, with the Biden Administration refusing to provide financial details. Easily, the financial details could have been redacted and the list provided.
The Chicago offices of Durbin and Duckworth are still closed to the public despite libraries, airports, post offices and other government offices open. Are Durbin and Duckworth hiding from Illinois voters? Are they trying to hide the Biden Administration's disastrous RRF program from public scrutiny? The March 4 deadline is set for Biden, Durbin, Duckworth and the U.S. Senate to deliver $48 billion to 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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