Attention Restaurant Members:  Vital SBA Information from the National Restaurant Association

Sean Kennedy of the National Restaurant Association provided the Chamber with vital information for our members who operate restaurants or bars and might be eligible for the Small Business Administration’s new Restaurant Revitalization Fund which begins the application process Monday, May 3.
This program targets relief to restaurants and bars adversely impacted by Covid-19.  To qualify a place of business has to be primarily a restaurant or bar.  Venues, where food or beverages are incidental to the primary mission, will not qualify.  The Small Business Administration has details of the program on their website.  The SBA also has a document explaining the program available as a download.  Click Here to access that document.

You can apply through SBA-recognized Point of Sale (POS) vendors or directly with the SBA.  Participating POS providers include Square, Toast, Clover, NCR Corporation (Aloha). If you are working with Square or Toast, you do not need to register on the SBA application portal.

CLICK HERE to access the application portal that goes live this Monday, May 3, at 12:00 EST.  There is a 21-day priority period for some applications.  Even if you do not qualify for the 21-day priority period, you should submit your grant application as early as possible.

For more information, you can access the National Restaurant Association’s website at www.restaurant.org.  You can also access their frequently asked questions page by clicking this link.

How to apply for Small Business Loans from the SBA due to COVID-19

The HEB Chamber previously sent out detailed information about the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) and the different options to get financial help to keep your employees and cover some of your business expenses during this challenging time. Senator John Cornyn tells us that we should get more information and dates when programs are available towards the end of this week.   

The SBA held a virtual meeting to go over the different programs in the CARES Act that can provide financial assistance for businesses on Thursday, April 2, at 11:00 a.m. for several area chambers of commerce.    The recording has been uploaded to YouTube and the PowerPoint slides used in the presentation are included in the link below.

What you and your business need to know about COVID-19

Article updated: 04-06-2020

The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) continues to increase as a global and local concern. Although we do not know of any active cases in our area, the HEB Chamber of Commerce will continue to monitor the situation. All HEB Chamber events have been canceled through April 30. The Chamber staff will be answering phones and emails.

In addition, we want to offer you information and resources in order that you and your company can continue to operate as efficiently and as safely as possible.

Our COVID-19 LINKS page includes key resources we believe you will find useful.

Many of our members are going to be hard hit through this crisis and as a community, we will look to help each other as much as possible. There has been a lot of political talk about help to come for businesses affected by the economic shutdown. While that situation continues to develop, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has a Disaster Assistance Program in place where the SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to help businesses and homeowners recover from declared disasters. Here is a link to the program!

For information on COVID-19, you can access Texas Health’s website or you can call the Texas Health Coronavirus Hotline at 682-236-7601 to speak with a nurse 24/7.

We’re working to provide accurate and up-to-date materials to our members and will continue to update our website with additional resources.

Please let us know how the HEB Chamber of Commerce can be a resource to you and your business.

Wash your hands – don’t touch your face – stay home if you are sick!