Keeping Local Restaurants Cooking: 144 Restaurants to Receive $3,000 Resilience Grants

California restaurants still struggling with impacts of the pandemic are getting a boost from the California Restaurant Foundation and The PG&E Corporation Foundation (Foundation).

The Foundation’s $500,000 charitable contribution to the California Restaurant Foundation will fund $3,000 grants to 144 hometown restaurants in 28 counties in PG&E’s service area, as well as operating support for CRF.

The Foundation’s contribution to the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund will help grantees pay for equipment upgrades to alleviate deferred maintenance, and for employee retention to help with industry-wide staffing shortages, both of which have been on the backburner for the last two years due to increased debt, losses and costs.

“Independent and locally-owned restaurants add vibrancy and uniqueness to every city, which is why the Resilience Fund is so important,” said Alycia Harshfield, executive director of the California Restaurant Foundation. “Restaurant owners have worked tirelessly over the last two years to keep doors open and feed their community, and we’re grateful to PG&E and The PG&E Corporation Foundation for their support the past two years, recognizing that it’s critical to continue to support and invest in local restaurants.”

Grants were made available to California resident restaurant owners with fewer than three units and less than $3 million in revenue, and prioritized minority- and women-owned businesses. PG&E’s and The Foundation’s combined $1 million in charitable contributions in 2021 and 2022 have supported 319 local restaurants.

“Our hometown restaurants are the heartbeat of many local communities. They’re where we mark milestones, celebrate events big and small, and reconnect with family, friends and coworkers. We’re grateful for the California Restaurant Foundation’s leadership in helping this important industry rebound and recover so we can all keep making memories together,” said PG&E Corporation Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer Carla Peterman.

Assisting small and medium businesses

PG&E remains committed to providing ways for its small and medium business customers to save energy and money amid the economic hardships suffered during the pandemic. Here are some ways PG&E is helping its customers:

Automatically enrolling qualified customers in PG&E’s COVID Relief Payment Plan to help pay down balances over time, protecting from disconnection.

Contacting business customers who would save money by choosing a better rate plan for their operations, in line with changing peak hours for time-of-use rate plans.

Providing COVID-19 relief and support information to all small business customers, including PG&E resources and external support for businesses like California state programs.

Increasing outreach to small business customers highlighting payment support and energy-savings programs through email campaigns, PG&E’s Energy Advisors, and direct mail.

Conducting outreach to eligible customers to enroll in a discounted rate for businesses struggling to stay open.

Offering rebate and financing solutions to help small business customers realize sustained cost savings.

For more information on PG&E Small and Medium Business customer support visit pge.com/smbsupport.

For more information on the California Restaurant Foundation, Restaurants Care, or the Restaurant Resilience Fund, visit restaurantscare.org.

Email Currents at Currents@pge.com.