A new bill could reimburse New Jersey restaurants for money spent on food and supplies in the days before indoor dining was set to resume in the Garden State. The bill would also include bars and caterers, reports NorthJersey.com.
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Indoor dining was set to resume at 25% capacity on July 2. However, COVID-19 spikes across the country led Governor Phil Murphy to indefinitely postpone indoor dining just three days before it was set to restart. As a result, restaurant owners were left with a surplus of food and supplies. The new bill hopes to compensate restaurants for those losses.
“This false start severely affected the food establishments that hired additional staff and spent money on equipment in anticipation of reopening,” said Senator Steve Sweeney on the NJ Senate Democrats website. “This will help reimburse the restaurants, bars and catering businesses that have followed the rules to protect the public’s health but are now paying the price.”
The proposed bill would set aside $30 million in federal CARES Act money to be distributed as grants to restaurants. There are no details yet on how restaurants can apply for the grants, but that info should come soon if the bill is approved.
