LAKEWOOD, Ohio — In Lakewood, Sarita's bar is buzzing as people enjoy a nice wine or cocktail after a long week's work.
The restaurant now regularly fills with reservations, compared to just a short time ago when owner and head chef Anthony Romano was battling COVID restrictions to keep afloat.
That was until his restaurant got a grant through the federal government's Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), which was established from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The US House has now passed a $55 billion aid package, including an additional $42 billion that will go toward replenishing the RRF.
Romano remembers the moment he found out he'd be getting an RRF grant.
"It was like tears of joy. Are you kidding me? It was a huge relief. Because it was tight, you know. I was living a little on plastic and playing the plastic game to make things go," Romano said.
He was far from alone. The National Restaurant Association estimates 909,000 restaurants either temporarily or permanently closed due to COVID-19.
Last year, sales were down by $65 billion compared to 2019.
"Even the best chain restaurants are generating at best 7 to 10 percent profit, so we're making pennies on the dollar and you generally make it up by volume of sales, so all these poor restaurants that have struggled," Romano said.
Romano says Sarita rallied, and they had their most successful year in 2021 and want to keep that momentum going.
He's hopeful this round of relief grants will help restaurant owners who are in the same position he was last year.
As for struggles Romano faces now, there's one main issue: Staffing. The lack of staff has caused him to have to close one day of the week. "We're trying to by the beginning of May go back to 7 days. But staffing has been the biggest issue," he says.
It's still a concern, but much more manageable now that the restaurant is back at full capacity.
Romano is not alone with staffing problems either. The National Restaurant Association estimates there are one million fewer people working in restaurants now than before the pandemic.
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