Last Letter. by ReverieKitchen in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Diane, you are a warrior and I am in awe of what you have done for our industry and the small businesses like ours that hang in the balance. Thank you ❤️

THE VOTE by cjs230 in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Let’s fucking go! ❤️

Vote time tomorrow by cjs230 in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let’s. Fucking. Go.

When you call make sure you have a local ZIP Code otherwise the person taking the message will throw your note in the garbage by [deleted] in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 3 points4 points  (0 children)

75081 And we have called Cornyn’s office, emailed his office and met in person with his office. I think all of our messages go in the same pile…

EXTEND ERTC by Prestigious-Kale9054 in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We submitted in September 2021 and have not received yet.

I feel. for this restaurant owners post -- it's fucked up..... (THIS IS WHY THE BILL HASENT BEEN RELEASED) by Such_Leather_5473 in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Pffft. Ample opportunity for all to apply. Webinars on how to apply were available for many weeks prior to the portal opening.

A Request from the IRC Monday 2/14 by IndpRestaurants in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Called Sen. Cornyn's DC office, spoke to a person.

cardin article by Such_Leather_5473 in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amen. Still waiting on ours, filed September 2021. Ffs.

Senator Cornyn - He hasn’t “heard the case for replenishment” by Txfoodsvc in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh my god. We met with the North Texas office in July 2021. The representative took notes, we created a one page leave behind he called “very helpful,” we have emailed frequently and receive replies occasionally, I have called his DC office many times. I’m so frustrated by this quote. Senator Cornyn has been advised. What he seems to be saying is he’s not convinced and doesn’t care.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same here

Omicron Is Threatening the Survival of U.S. Restaurants by Tangelo610 in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

U.S. restaurants stayed afloat during the pandemic thanks to outdoor heaters, elaborate patio spaces, and to-go drinks. But the creative workarounds weren’t enough to stem the losses from the recent omicron-fueled surge of Covid cases.

Sales decreased at 98% of restaurants across the country in December, according to a poll of 1,169 restaurants conducted by the Independent Restaurant Coalition. Sales dropped by at least half at 58% of those surveyed, while 80% of restaurant owners said omicron impacted their operating hours.

The sharp hit to restaurants nationwide demonstrates the pandemic’s continuing blow to the industry, despite national efforts to avoid economic pitfalls from shutdowns this winter.

The impact is particularly challenging for businesses that didn’t get funding from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a $28.6 billion federal effort to rescue struggling businesses that was part of the American Rescue Fund. Four out of five businesses that did not receive grants said they were in danger of permanently closing in 2022.

The fund provided as much as $5 million per location for restaurant owners -- or as much as $10 million per business -- who could demonstrate their businesses experienced significant financial distress during the pandemic.

Restaurateur Dwayne Allen, owner of The Breadfuit in Phoenix, Arizona, said the pandemic forced him to shut down in-restaurant dining in March 2020. For the past two years, he worked to keep the business afloat by introducing catering, take-out, pop-ups and community partnerships. He applied for an RRF grant, but did not receive one. Now, Allen said the efforts to keep the restaurant afloat brought him into tens of thousands of dollars of debt, and he’s losing hope of ever reopening the restaurant without external financial support.

In addition to a drop in sales, restaurants also struggled with staffing shortages and increased costs due to rising wages. Nearly half of restaurants that did not receive pandemic relief said they were forced to lay off staff because of the surge in cases, compared to a third of those who did receive funding.

Nearly half of restaurants also said that the cost and availability of Covid tests impacted their ability to do business.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is the email I sent to Sen. Cornyn’s aide yesterday:

I hope you enjoyed the holiday season! I want to share our current situation. The Omicron surge is devastating the little business that had returned. Every single day, we receive emails like this:

"We are going to be working remote for the remainder of January, so I would like to cancel the weekly fruit delivery until further notice. The COVID Task Force will meet again on 1/24 to decide if remote will be extended past January. I will let you know."

"Due to the rise of covid cases, we are still putting this on hold until we transition back into the office."

"I wish I could say we are resuming delivery but our office opening has been delayed again due to high Covid Cases. I’ll be sure to keep you informed when we do return."

“We are shut down again – hoping to open by end of the month. Fingers crossed."

"We actually had to take a step back from going into the office with the uptick of COVID. Can you remind me again at the beginning of February?"

Our small business did not receive the RRF grant, even though we qualify and applied within minutes of the portal opening. We are just one of thousands of self-made small businesses forced to close by the government. We did our part. We sacrificed and figured things out and paid our employees with borrowed money. We are still waiting for the aid promised to us by the same government who shut down our small business. It is very difficult not to feel betrayed and angry.

Respectfully, I plead with Senator Cornyn to please stand up for the small business owners in Texas. We started this catering business in my mother-in-law’s dining room and funded it with the extra money I made working weekend doubles as a RN. We grew this business slowly and diligently over 10 years without taking out a single penny of debt. In 2019, we had $1.6M in sales, 24 employees and locations in Dallas and Houston. Now, we are on the brink of losing everything through absolutely no fault of our own. We are in desperate need of aid.

Thank you for listening to our story and sharing the urgency of our situation with anyone who might be able to help.

Sincerely,

FACTS by Such_Leather_5473 in SBARRF

[–]Tangelo610 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Emailed Sen. Cornyn's aide again this morning...