Senate Overwhelmingly Passes Restaurant Relief Program

By a margin of 90 to 10, the U.S. Senate has approved the Restaurant Rescue Plan.The plan is reportedly similar to last year's RESTAURANTS Act—a larger, $120 billion restaurant relief plan.That program proposed grants of no more than $10 million to cover restaurant's eligible expenses.Democrats described the new plan as "a dedicated grant relief program for restaurants" worth $25 billion.President Biden had already mentioned restaurant relief in announcing the American Rescue Plan last month.He was able to work with Congress to get this help to restaurants fast.This new bailout initiative has been well-received by industry advocacy groups.The Senate made it clear today: it's time to save restaurants and bars. The Senate knows that the only way we can fully recover our economy is to ensure neighborhood restaurants and bars can survive, Erika PolmarIndependent Restaurant Coalition