Most approvals from Portland’s largest restaurant revitalization grant went to white businesses

The Small Business Administration has released a list of the more than 100,000 food and beverage companies approved to receive grants through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, the food industry incentive program run in part by Portland’s own Rep. Earl Blumenauer was developed.

As part of the US bailout plan, the fund had to prioritize companies owned by veterans, women and marginalized groups. However, white entrepreneurs started filing lawsuits, saying that the policy was discriminating against white men; some women entrepreneurs and restaurateurs of color reported that lenders were: the withdrawal of the previously approved subsidies related to the lawsuits. The SBA froze payments to 2,965 priority applicants and redistributed the funds to non-priority companies.

Portland’s Top 10 Largest Restaurant Revitalization Grants Approved by the SBA reflect the confusion surrounding the intended prioritization of businesses owned by women and people of color. The majority of businesses that have received more than $1 million are not owned by people of color, with a few notable exceptions. The SBA approved Portland-based Vietnamese chain Bambuza, owned by Daniel Nguyen and Katherine Lam, for more than $1.16 million, and the US branch of Japanese window brand Afuri was approved for about $2.4 million.

The city’s largest approved restaurant revitalization grant was earmarked for Capers Cafe & Catering Co., the wine bar and cafe at Portland’s International Airport; the group is slated to receive nearly $7 million. A number of hospitality or catering establishments have made it into the top 10, including Vibrant Table, Pearl Catering, and Chefstable Catering. Other Portland restaurants and local chains approved to receive more than $1 million include Sizzle Pie, Mothers, Blue Star and Papa Haydn.

More than one quarter of a million entrepreneurs applied for the grants in early May, according to the SBA. The Independent Restaurant Coalition, the industry group that has helped develop legislation and policy such as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, requested the SBA to release the approved grant information, and continues to urge Congress to complete the program. A group of lawmakers, including Blumenauer, has introduced an invoice to replenish the fund. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund has helped tens of thousands of local restaurants and bars get the help they need, but Congress needs to supplement the program to ensure the tens of thousands of others who need help can get it, Erika Polmar, executive director of the Independent Restaurant Coalition, said in a written statement. We hope the SBA answers our questions about how many individuals who received grants during the priority period had their awards withdrawn. Those businesses need to be made whole, just like every restaurant and bar affected by this pandemic.

The grant information released includes company name, city and grant amount; however, the information only includes companies that have been approved for a grant, not necessarily those that have accepted them. Below, we list the city’s 10 largest approved grants; readers can find the full list at this Business Diary database.

10 Biggest Grants Awarded to Portland Businesses

Capers Cafe & Catering Co. $6,895,164
Vibrant Table Catering & Events Inc. $5,000,000
Mothers Bistro and Bar $4,901,987
Sizzle Pie $4,725,163
Stake House LLC (from the same ownership team as vegan strip club Casa Diablo) $4,572,473
Blue Star Donuts LLC $3,303,338
Eightbridges LLC (which owns Q Restaurant and Bar) $3,091,338
Daddy Haydn $2,943,875
Pearl Catering $2,587,707
Chefstable Catering $2,488,890

Disclosure by the Small Business Administration of companies approved for grants from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund [BJ]
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Congresses Restaurant Revitalization Fund has no more money and restaurants are still needed [E]
Restaurant Grant Program Ends in a Cloud of Errors and Confusion [NYT]
White owner of PA Sports Bar alleges that prioritizing minority restaurants for restaurant lighting is discriminatory [EP]