11/11/2021

Ohio Restaurant Owners Say They Need Government Help with Expenses

The ORA is asking Congress to replenish restaurant revitalization funds

Slightly more than half of Ohio's restaurants are telling their main lobbying group they don't think they will be able to break even this year. They say business has not fully rebounded to the levels they experienced before the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are unsure when that might happen.

The federal government made money available to restaurants last year. But John Barker, president and CEO for the Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA), says only a small percentage of the restaurants statewide that applied for federal revitalization funds actually got that money.

"In Ohio, only 2,844 of the 8,228 applications were approved and funded," Barker said.

Please select this link to read the complete article from WKSU-89.7.