Biden Opens Restaurant Revitalization Fund With Taqueria Visit

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President Biden arrives for a visit to Taqueria Las Gemelas restaurant in Washington as part of the opening of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, an coronavirus relief effort that opened this week. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

President Biden arrives for a visit to Taqueria Las Gemelas restaurant in Washington as part of the opening of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, an coronavirus relief effort that opened this week.

Before Taqueria Las Gemelas was approved for coronavirus relief aid on Wednesday, the Mexican eatery, like countless other businesses across the country, was struggling to stay afloat.

"We've been in a tenuous position at best for the past two months we've been open," said JoshuaPhillips, co-owner of Las Gemelas with partners Yesenia Neri Díaz and Rogelio Martinez, who are Mexican immigrants. "There's definitely a lot of corners cut. There's definitely some wages we were looking to increase within our team ... some debt we need to pay off."

Phillips and his team opened the trendy taqueria in Washington, D.C.'s Union Market in March — more than a year into the pandemic that had already forced a months-long delay in the restaurant'slaunch.

"We kind of lost all of our funding immediately when the country shut down," he said to NPR in an interview. "Essentially every week we have just enough cash for payroll."

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According to the White House, Las Gemelas went from 55 employees down to 7.

But on Wednesday, while bracing themselves for a busy Cinco De Mayo holiday, Phillips and his staff got some sorely needed good news: The restaurant's application for a grant from the federal government's newly opened Restaurant Revitalization Fund had been approved — a message delivered by the president himself during a midday stop.

"It was a wonderful morning. I can't think of a better possible way to be accepted into the funds," Phillips said. "[President Biden] asked us what the money meant to us, and I honestly broke down in tears a little bit ... I'm sniffling up a little thinking about it."

President Joe Biden speaks with employees of Taqueria Las Gemelas restaurant on Wednesday. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

The fund, which opened to applicants on Monday, is part of Biden's historic $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that he signed into law in March. The $28.6 billion restaurant relief fund grants food businesses funding "equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss" up to $10 million.

Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as the money is spent on eligible uses no later than March 11, 2023.

After grabbing a to-go order at Las Gemelas — four tacos and two quesadillas — Biden took questions fromreporters, describing restaurant workers as having been "resilient, creative and generous" throughout the pandemic.

"Restaurants are more than a major driver in our economy; they're woven in the fabric of our communities," he said, calling the industry "a key part of the American story."

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Small restaurants and their employees were among the hardest hit by the pandemic that is now stretching into its second year. The National Restaurant Association estimates that 110,000 restaurants "closed permanently or for the long-term," compared to pre-pandemic levels. Those establishments that have survived still face difficulties in resuming normal operations and wooing back Americans who have lost their appetite for eating out during the pandemic. Even for restaurants where diners have returned, a national worker shortage has threatened operations and profitability.