The following is an open letter published by the Independent Restaurant Coalition. Visit www.saverestaurants.com for more information.
It’s 2022 and we have one goal on our minds: convince Congress to refill the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. After two years of working together to get bar and restaurant relief through Congress, it’s a tough pill to swallow that we are heading into a third year of the pandemic. But we head into this new year more prepared than ever for the fight — with a growing coalition, a fierce and determined membership, and hard-won experience.
Our Senators and Representatives are back in Washington, D.C. and the crisis in our industry is worsening. Restaurants and bars are closing for good, laying off staff, and dining rooms are empty – for many of us, it’s the last straw. We know and see this dire reality. Yet we’re still hearing from sources on the Hill and the White House that too many leaders in Congress are not seeing our emergency for the five-alarm fire that it is.
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Many of you have asked “what should I do now?” The answer, right now, is we need to make our crisis even more visible. That means – as always – calling your Senators and Representatives every day, sharing your stories on social media, telling your customers about the circumstances you’re facing, and asking them to be your advocates. It also means we need to once again give Congress a collective picture of our industry. That’s why we’re asking restaurant and bar operators across the country to fill out a new survey about your business and how you are now faring.
P.S. In case you missed it in the Washington Post today, we released a letter signed by current and former mayors from nearly 30 cities calling on members of Congress to replenish the program.
In solidarity,
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