Grant recovery program could help thousands of NC businesses devastated by pandemic

Restaurants are one of many business branches struggling throughout the nation. The North Carolina Business Recovery Grant program hopes to serve as a life-preserver.

One Raleigh restaurant owner said with conditions like they are, it's the survival of the fittest.

"The delta variant and omicron have put things in a much worse position," said David Meeker, co-owner of Trophy Brewing. "You have these weeks and months where you do 50 percent of your sales and, in any business, when you're doing 50 percent of your sales and you're dealing with keeping your employees safe, you're just hemorrhaging money."

Meeker said Trophy was trending up last summer before the delta and omicron variants took hold. Then there were matters of supply chain issues along with finding and keeping enough employees.

The grants are being funded by the General Assembly out of the American Rescue Plan.

"We don't want any eligible business to miss out on a chance to apply," said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper at a news conference on Thursday.

"Small businesses, especially the public-facing businesses like restaurants and lodging and retail businesses have faced serious challenges during this pandemic," Cooper said.

Cooper said, despite the struggles, North Carolina has the fewest job losses per capita of any state during the pandemic.

Secretary of Revenue Ron Penny said there's been about 4,300 unverified applications submitted for the grant. The state anticipates sending out checks to businesses by mid-February.

Also on Thursday, congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) hosted a roundtable on relief funding for the restaurant industry. She was joined by restaurant owners in Raleigh who received or applied for help.