Garrett County Announces Restaurant Relief Fund Program

Garrett County Announces Restaurant Relief Fund Program

November 13, 2020, Oakland, MD – A new local grant program, the Garrett County Restaurant Relief Fund, will assist restaurants with expenses associated with adjusting their operations and procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund supports one-time, short-term financial support to foodservice operations impacted by COVID-19. Grants up to $10,000 will be awarded to eligible restaurants, caterers, mobile food service providers, and brewery or distillery businesses. Specific program eligibility requirements apply.

“In the midst of the pandemic, we have been working diligently to serve our small business community,” said Kim Durst, Garrett County Manager of Business Development. “We anticipate these grant funds to be instrumental in helping local foodservice operations. Grant funds are limited, so we encourage eligible businesses to apply as soon as possible.”

Applicants must have owned, rented, or leased a permanent or mobile commercial food and/or beverage service location in Garrett County as of March 1, 2020 in good standing. The business must also demonstrate operational expenses or purchases incurred due to COVID-19 in the periods from March 1, 2020 through December 30, 2020. Examples of such expenses are rent/mortgage, utilities, marketing, employee training, commercial cleaning and sanitation services, and infrastructure improvements.

The application for grant funding is available online at the Department of Economic Development’s website http://www.gcedonline.com/covid-19/restaurant-relief-grant and applications will be accepted beginning Monday, November 16, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is exhausted.

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15, 2020 and no grant applications will be accepted after that date. Funds must be disbursed to businesses by December 31, 2020.

About Garrett County Economic Development: The Department of Economic Development works to attract, retain, and expand businesses in Garrett County, Maryland. Our workforce, location, and affordable community-owned business parks have attracted some of the best business that Maryland has to offer. In Garrett County, we continue to define what it means to live, work, and play. For more information, contact Kim Durst, Manager of Business Development, Garrett County Economic Development, via kdurst@garrettcounty.org or 301-334-1992.