$450,000 grant program announced for Virginia restaurants

The Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association (VRLTA) is partnering with restaurant-delivery service DoorDash on a $450,000 grant program “to support, recognize, and reward restaurants that have been actively engaged in helping their community and their business adapt during the pandemic.”

DoorDash will award approximately 125 grants of $3,500 each to local Virginia restaurants. Eligibility requirements are as follows:

• The business is independently owned with no more than three locations
• The business currently has at least one location open and operating as a food-service establishment in Virginia
• The single Virginia restaurant location applying for the grant has annual gross revenue of $3 million or less
• The single Virginia restaurant location applying for the grant has 50 or fewer employees
• The single Virginia restaurant location applying for the grant occupies a visible, brick-and-mortar storefront
• The business is not a home-based business, pop-up, or food truck
• The restaurant has experienced a reduction in revenue, financial stress, or disrupted operations over the period of March 2020 through December 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019 as a result of COVID-19

Restaurants don’t need to be a current DoorDash partner or VRLTA member to apply, nor do they need to sign up with DoorDash to apply. Priority will be given to businesses that have not received significant support at the federal, state or local level. A minimum of 20 percent of the grants will be earmarked to minority-owned and/or women-owned businesses.

Applications will be available through this online portal until 5 p.m. March 1. Following a review and judging process, the $3,500 grant checks will be distributed no later than March 31 to restaurants across Virginia.