WEBVTT - Revitalizing Our Restaurants w/ Sen. Chuck Schumer 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.560 Citizen Chef is a production of I Heart Radio. You know, 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:06.439 I spent a lot of time talking to members of Congress, 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:08.160 and I really believe there are a lot of people 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:10.000 there that that are there for the right reasons. They're 0:00:10.000 --> 0:00:12.520 there to help people. And to me, this was democracy 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:15.000 in action. This was a problem. You had people that 0:00:15.080 --> 0:00:18.840 got together. They effectively lobby, and that's not a bad word, 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:22.599 lobby government for help. And it worked. And so for me, 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:25.680 this is this is watching democracy really work and and 0:00:25.680 --> 0:00:28.720 and it all happened because of democracy in Georgia as well. 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:35.640 Don't give away my punchline. Hello and welcome to season 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:39.159 two of Citizen Chef. I'm your host, Tom Polikio. You 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:41.680 may know me from Top Chefs or my restaurants are 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:46.560 I'm hoping for this podcast. Since we last spoke, however, 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:48.760 the role has been most near and dear in my heart. 0:00:49.440 --> 0:00:53.200 What I've been playing for the last year is lobbyist. Yes, 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:56.360 I know, lobbyists can sometimes be considered a dirty word, 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:00.840 frequently associated with sort of industries occurring for ever in Washington, 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:03.800 I get it. But for me, years ago, I was 0:01:03.840 --> 0:01:06.760 a co founder of Food Policy Action. We published a 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:08.600 scorecard and we grated a Congress on how he voted 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:11.120 around food issues, which brought me frequently to the hill 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:13.440 UM and I was lobbying them, But I was lobbying 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.759 on behalf of people who were in need of food. 0:01:15.800 --> 0:01:19.640 I was lobbying around issues around accessibility and affordability of 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:22.240 of food and other other farming issues as well. I 0:01:22.280 --> 0:01:26.000 was unpaid registered lobbyist UM and still am. But over 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.520 the last year I have been working with the Independent 0:01:28.560 --> 0:01:34.920 Restaurant Coalition to lobby our government for directed relief for restaurants. 0:01:35.200 --> 0:01:38.679 As you all know, restaurants were probably the most affected 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:42.160 by the COVID pandemic. The only thing I was going 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:44.200 to help and that it wasn't a go funding page, 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:46.720 and it certainly wasn't bake sales. And we needed the 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:49.520 federal government to never want to understand the scope and 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:52.160 scale of the problem and and then to understand that 0:01:52.240 --> 0:01:56.200 we needed direct relief, which we did. We got it. 0:01:57.600 --> 0:01:59.240 It took a year's worth of work, and it took 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:01.800 a bunch of people, chefs and restaurant hers across the 0:02:01.800 --> 0:02:04.960 country that that banned together and just were relentless in 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:10.480 making sure that government understood our needs. Chefs that had 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:15.000 never called on a member of Congress. What they were relentless, 0:02:15.120 --> 0:02:17.400 not only calling members of Congress in their district or 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:19.800 their state, but anyone else they can get in touch with. 0:02:20.160 --> 0:02:21.720 It was it was great to see. Really, I mean, 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:24.640 for me, it was really democracy in action. It was 0:02:24.680 --> 0:02:27.839 a fight. And there were other organizations without naming them 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:32.480 that sometimes gotten. The way is it was tough. All 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:35.680 bloom Nowers a Member of Commerce from Portland area in Oregon, 0:02:35.800 --> 0:02:38.040 and he wrote the bill in the House right away, 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:40.239 and he was actually already working on this. Who was 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:44.399 some local restaurants in Portland. One of our members from Mississippi, 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.320 Robert st. John, who ended up writing the bill for 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:50.359 the Senate, and that was also supported heavily by Kirsty 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:53.200 Cinema from Arizona, as well as so many other people. 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:57.360 Hory Booker supported, Christian Jillys, Jim McGovern, Rose at DO, Laura, 0:02:57.600 --> 0:02:59.959 Shelly Pingry. These are all people who I've worked with 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:02.000 in the past on food policy um. But they were 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:04.720 all very supportive, as well as about two hundred plus 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:08.480 House members and over fifty members in the Senates. This 0:03:08.520 --> 0:03:11.880 was truly bipartisan, and of course Speaker Pelosi had her 0:03:11.960 --> 0:03:14.920 hand in this. Um, the Lasquas who runs the Small 0:03:14.919 --> 0:03:18.200 Business Association. Uh, so many people really put an instrumental role. 0:03:18.280 --> 0:03:21.040 But when things looked really bad. Um, you know, when 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:23.560 when President Biden was elected, we were not included in 0:03:23.560 --> 0:03:26.800 his stimulus package. The night of the Georgia election, when 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:30.400 Senator Schumer became the leader of the Senate, we reached 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:32.480 out to very quickly and he made promises that we 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:35.680 would be included in that package. And he kept his promise. 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:39.760 We received some funding twenty point six billion dollars. Uh, 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:41.400 it's a lot of money. It's a little short of 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:45.160 what we're asking for. As of today, I believe the 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:49.400 sp A has already processed well over hundred thousand applications. 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:52.880 And also restaurants that do fewer than five thousand dollars 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:55.280 fee than a half million dollars. There's a separate fund 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.920 for them of five billion dollars. So we're taking care 0:03:57.960 --> 0:04:00.960 of a lot of people here. Um. Senator Schumer kept 0:04:01.000 --> 0:04:04.560 his promise. So without further ado, I just want to 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.560 say thank you Senator Schumer, and welcome to Citizen Chef. 0:04:08.160 --> 0:04:11.480 How are you good? Number one? Thanks for for agreeing 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:14.760 to appear on Citizen chef. This is our our second season. 0:04:15.040 --> 0:04:18.680 This this episode is really focusing on restaurant Acts, Restaurant 0:04:18.680 --> 0:04:21.200 Revitization Act. Uh, it's such an important role that you 0:04:21.279 --> 0:04:23.600 played in getting this past and and part of the 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:27.279 stimulus package. Um. Our listeners may or may not know. Um, 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:30.400 the Restaurant Act was not part of President Biden's original 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:33.680 stimulus package. I've said this publicly before. But you made 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:35.160 a promise to me that it was going to be 0:04:35.200 --> 0:04:37.680 in there, and you kept your promise. And as I 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:39.560 was a majority leader, I was going to do it, 0:04:39.640 --> 0:04:42.719 and so you did. It's in there, and so far 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:45.279 it's been it's been a huge success. Um. What do 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:47.919 you think would have happened if we didn't take Georgia? 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:51.640 We didn't take Georgia that you know, here was the problem. 0:04:51.680 --> 0:04:55.400 As you know, Tom, restaurants had unique problems, more problems 0:04:55.400 --> 0:04:58.960 than any other small business because that's where people with 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:01.880 the buness is that had the worst trouble in COVID 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:06.040 where people gathered together, and so many restaurants were closed, 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:08.279 so many restaurants, even when they were open, they could 0:05:08.279 --> 0:05:11.440 only have twenty five or ten percent of capacity. And 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:13.680 then of course for New York when it was winter, 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:17.680 people didn't want to eat outside very much. Though restaurants 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:20.320 suffered more than anyone else. And you and I have 0:05:20.480 --> 0:05:23.840 to give you and the groups you put together real credit. 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:26.440 You guys came to me and said we are unique. 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:29.719 And I said to Tom, you gotta put together a 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:32.760 whole national network, which you did, and there were restauranturs 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:36.560 all over the country who got involved. And I promised, 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:39.359 if I became majority leader, we would do this special 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.279 assistance for restaurants. And the program is really much better 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:45.839 than the p p P some some of the issues 0:05:45.960 --> 0:05:47.680 you're actually some of the issues with p p P. 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:50.880 P PP was fine if you were a business, a 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:54.560 small business that maybe saw impact on your bottom line. 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:56.680 Maybe you laid off a handful of workers, so you 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:59.240 were able to bring those workers back, pay them through 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:02.880 p p P, pay your rent and then essentially uh 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:05.240 lower your cost and so you did okay. But if 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:07.960 you were shuttered, if you were closed, like well restaurants were, 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:10.800 it really didn't help at all. Right, so this is 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:14.760 a much more generous program. Um you just do you 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:21.000 calculate your revenues you lost between right, it's the difference 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:25.479 between revenue and twenties revenue UH minus any p p 0:06:25.600 --> 0:06:29.279 p UM. A restaurant can get up to two million dollars, 0:06:29.320 --> 0:06:32.400 but restaurant groups are kept at ten million. You don't 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:34.919 have to deduct if you got an IDOL grant, you 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.760 don't have to deduct it. The earned at tax credit 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:40.440 you know where you get paid that didn't get deducted. 0:06:40.720 --> 0:06:43.119 And here's first, we made it sure that it wasn't 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:46.360 just a restaurant per se, but it went to caterers 0:06:46.400 --> 0:06:51.240 and brew pubs and tap rooms and tasting rooms, all okay. 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:55.160 And we also made it very broad. The p p 0:06:55.320 --> 0:06:57.240 P was very limited in what you could do, and 0:06:57.279 --> 0:06:59.360 if you didn't, if you had a higher rent, you 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:03.239 were because the first BPP said the only fifty percent 0:07:03.279 --> 0:07:05.920 of your costs could go to UH employees and rents 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:09.039 were so okay. So now it just as very broad. 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:11.480 And I'll give I'm gonna list all the things here 0:07:11.520 --> 0:07:16.720 I have it. Not only it can include rent, utilities, mortgage, 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:23.720 maintenance supplies, equipment, cleaning materials, food, operational expenses, supplier costs, 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:27.840 um um. All of that can be included. You know what, 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.440 when when we when we we made sure that that 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:32.280 was there for a reason when we made the claim 0:07:32.400 --> 0:07:35.640 of how big of a problem uh, having restaurants closed 0:07:35.720 --> 0:07:37.440 the impact that it wasn't just the impact of the 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:40.400 people who worked in restaurants, but it was the entire ecosystem. 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:43.120 It was all the suppliers. And so without having that 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:46.120 money flow through to pay for suppliers, you weren't. You 0:07:46.120 --> 0:07:49.400 can keep that that that that that eco ecosystem intact, 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:52.760 more New Yorkers lost jobs who worked in restaurants than 0:07:52.800 --> 0:07:56.160 any other category. So first it's just unemployed people left. 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:59.960 And second, all the suppliers and everybody else would told 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:04.320 we stuck back all the way to the agricultural eco system. 0:08:04.360 --> 0:08:08.720 And third, and this is what you know. Restaurants provide 0:08:08.800 --> 0:08:11.880 us not just in New York but everywhere, but especially 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:14.040 in New York. We have the best restaurants. In my 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:17.120 humble looking, you identify you want to live in a 0:08:17.160 --> 0:08:21.760 neighborhood because of restaurants. You identify with communities. Because of restaurants. 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:25.840 People have made their friends, their partners, their plans. It's 0:08:25.840 --> 0:08:31.520 a sense of community, it's a common bond over shared food. Listen. 0:08:31.600 --> 0:08:33.559 Senator Schumer was such a great ally for this bill 0:08:33.600 --> 0:08:36.760 because he really understands that this isn't a ballout. This 0:08:36.800 --> 0:08:40.960 is a heartfelt effort to preserve one of our vital ecosystems. Uh. 0:08:41.000 --> 0:08:44.320 This is about people's livelihoods. It's it's about preserving the 0:08:44.360 --> 0:08:46.000 true source of joy for a lot of people, and 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:51.280 it's really about keeping communities together and safe. We'll be 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:58.679 back with more. Citizen Chef Tom Colochio and I'm talking 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:01.440 with Sender Schubert are about a path ahead as the 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:04.720 restaurant industry attempts to fall back the losses from the pandemic. 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:08.960 I care about small business people, as you know, Tom, 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:11.760 I'll tell your listeners my dad had the opposite of 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:14.439 a restaurant. Restaurants bring things to life. We'll use an 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:18.120 exterminator terrible business, so we need him in restaurants. Yes, 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:21.600 and that's well, that's another part of the ecosystem. That's exactly. 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:26.280 But I saw how small business people struggle. So you 0:09:26.400 --> 0:09:29.280 add the fact that small business. Restaurant is a small business, 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:33.120 but then it's a special place for the community. And 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:36.280 then it's organic itself. You know, a restaurants not just 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:39.440 seven people or twenty two people working together. It's a 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:41.679 team and there's a chef and a Sioux chef, and 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:44.200 there's a major d and there's waiters and the waitresses, 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:46.920 and and you don't want to lose all that. You 0:09:47.000 --> 0:09:50.880 lose it, you lose something spiritual almost. So I made 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:52.360 it a pledge that we were going to get this 0:09:52.440 --> 0:09:54.560 done if I became majority leader. Let me give you 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:59.520 some good news here today. This is um. The SBA 0:09:59.679 --> 0:10:03.400 today informed us that the first wave of restaurant applications 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:07.720 have been approved. Sixteen thousand awards worth two billion dollars 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:10.959 has been given out and the funds are going to 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:13.560 arrive as soon as today for those who have been approved. 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:16.560 And I say to your listeners, you don't have to 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:18.680 go through a bank. You can just call up the 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:22.320 SPA and they will help you. And if you need help, 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:25.200 you can call Tom's group, you can call my office. 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:27.400 I have this huge smile on my face. It's you 0:10:27.679 --> 0:10:30.520 can't see this. You can, but the listeners won won't 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:32.720 be able to see this because this is is the 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:34.800 coination of a year's worth of work that the Independent 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:38.040 Restaurant Coalition did. And we were celebrating when the s 0:10:38.120 --> 0:10:41.199 b A actually opened up the program for applications. The 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:44.200 idea that money is going out today is something that 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:46.800 I'm sure all of my colleagues that fought so hard 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:49.200 for this program, they're just gonna be just just over 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:51.320 the moon. Yes, Um, you know what happened in the 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:54.920 first bill when Trump was around, and frankly the Republicans, 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:58.040 they let all the big chains scoop up all the money. 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:01.760 They can't get it any more. It was originally twenty 0:11:01.760 --> 0:11:04.240 five billion, and then I upped it. I you know, 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:06.040 was not in the House bill, it was not in 0:11:06.080 --> 0:11:09.080 the President's bill. But my love for restaurants and my 0:11:09.160 --> 0:11:12.839 love for my caring about the struggles of small businesses 0:11:13.320 --> 0:11:15.760 combined said, um, this was a must do. I put it. 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:17.440 I said, I'm not going to put a bill on 0:11:17.480 --> 0:11:19.440 the floor that doesn't have the Restaurants Act in it. 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:23.040 And I got to get your independent restaurant group such 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:25.280 credit you were you were, I don't know what how 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:28.920 you say the word indefatigable whatever. We must have talked 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:34.240 Hi and he is as a chef too. If we 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:36.160 didn't have the grass roots, we couldn't have got this 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:39.280 for giving me a lot of credit. And then there's 0:11:39.360 --> 0:11:42.920 there was so many chefs restaurateurs across the country who 0:11:43.080 --> 0:11:46.440 who had never reached out to elected officials, and it 0:11:46.520 --> 0:11:49.320 was just great to watch body stuck. He was a 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:53.800 restaurantur in Colorado. He just was NonStop, would call everyone 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:57.320 um and just you know. They found that some of 0:11:57.360 --> 0:11:59.839 the qualities that you have running a restaurant, especially in 0:11:59.880 --> 0:12:02.720 the front of the house where you're making relationships. Yeah, 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:05.000 and you're that that that really paid off because they 0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:07.360 understood how to how to figure out what people wanted, 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:09.280 what they needed. And so we had to tell a story. 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:12.720 Number one. We had a picture coverress understood the issues 0:12:12.760 --> 0:12:14.839 that restaurants had, and we also had to get it 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:17.320 out there to the public. And we also, I gotta 0:12:17.320 --> 0:12:20.280 say the press. They were also really instrumental because they 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:22.720 were allowing us to tell our stories. Right. And by 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:24.480 the way, that's another thing we did to him. We 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:27.520 made it nonpartisan. We didn't want it to so that 0:12:27.600 --> 0:12:30.439 it actually the first amendment I put on the floor 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:32.440 of the Senate the power of the Majority Leader. One 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:34.360 of them is you determine what goes on the floor 0:12:34.360 --> 0:12:36.439 of the Senate was a bye part is in bill 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:40.960 your bill. The Bypartisan Bill Restaurants Act passed by the 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:45.480 sponsors were cinema. She's a Democrat of Arizona, and Wicker 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:48.360 he's a Republican of Mississippi. And that was the first 0:12:48.360 --> 0:12:50.040 bill we put on the floor, and it passed in 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:54.280 a big bipartisan vote, overwhelming. So that means if we 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:57.440 run out twenty eight billion in there will have a 0:12:57.559 --> 0:12:59.760 very good chance and I will fight hard to get 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:02.640 it new. So let me that's where I wanted ahead 0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:04.800 with this, because there's a good chance that it will 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:07.240 run out twenty eight point six billions. It's a it's 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:09.520 a big number, but we were asking for a hundred 0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:13.319 and twenty billion, I believe the number for all restaurants. 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:15.959 So if you factor out some of the chains, I 0:13:16.000 --> 0:13:18.520 think the number was about two hundred billion that we 0:13:18.520 --> 0:13:20.560 were affecting. Our revenue was affected, but if you factor 0:13:20.600 --> 0:13:22.760 out some of the big ones, it probably isn't about 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:26.000 a hundred and twenty billion. Um. We're sure of that. UM. 0:13:26.120 --> 0:13:28.480 So we're pretty sure this is gonna going to run out. 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:30.880 We've done a bunch of town halls just to let 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:33.120 people know. I mean, we have members of our group 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:35.800 walking into restaurants in their community saying, do you know 0:13:35.880 --> 0:13:39.080 about this? Apply and so, so what is the process 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:41.120 that we have to go through now to get the 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:44.000 revitalization fund plussed up? Well, when we get a little 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:46.400 when we get a little closer, I gave it a 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:48.880 few more weeks. Um, you should go do the same 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:51.360 thing you did before. I go to the Senator's Democrat 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:53.880 Republican from every corner of the country and say, there 0:13:53.880 --> 0:13:56.319 are still many more restaurants that have applied that may 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:58.719 not get it if we don't knew it, and it 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:01.320 since it had such pularity, I think it has a 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:05.240 damn good chance. Again, is this a standalone vote, Well, 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:07.880 we'll have to design. You know, stand alone votes in 0:14:07.920 --> 0:14:10.880 the Senator take a long time. So often get an 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:14.280 amendment to something we could hope, you know, I it's 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:17.320 too early to tell right now, when and what bill 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:19.880 we detach it to God one way or another. I'll 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:22.360 do everything I can to get it renewed, and we 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:24.480 don't have to make so far. And I don't know 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:26.360 what you've heard, Tom, but I've you know, I go 0:14:26.400 --> 0:14:29.000 to restaurants all the time, and I've heard from the 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:32.320 people who are applying that's relatively easy. They're not making 0:14:32.360 --> 0:14:35.560 them jump through hoops. So if restaurants who are listening 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:40.880 to this podcast haven't applied, please do So's any chefs 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:44.000 and restauranturs out there that haven't applied yet, you should 0:14:44.040 --> 0:14:46.800 go to SPA dot gov and click on the Restaurant 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:51.200 and Vitalization Fund under COVID nineteen relief options. Also, if 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:54.280 you don't own a restaurant um you can't help putting 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:58.240 a call into your representatives, members of Congress, Senators and 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:01.360 let them know that you want to see the Restaurant 0:15:01.520 --> 0:15:04.640 Vitalization Act plused up if the funding runs out, you 0:15:04.680 --> 0:15:07.320 want to see more money in their applications. In the 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:12.480 first three days, came in from fifty states, fifty different states, 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:14.440 includes all the Blue ones and all the Red ones 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:17.600 and five territories as well. A lot of people out 0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:22.840 there need help. We'll be back with more citizen chef 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:29.400 We're back. Independent Restaurant Coalition worked with the SPA to 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:32.520 actually stand up the program. Early on, you had to 0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:34.240 have a SAM number and the d n B number. 0:15:34.480 --> 0:15:37.400 They dropped that. That was really tumblings. My my director 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:39.800 of finance, who's uh you know a c p A 0:15:39.920 --> 0:15:41.920 has been with me for twenty years. It took him 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.240 four hours to get those numbers and so they dropped 0:15:44.240 --> 0:15:46.360 that um and and they made it easy. They really 0:15:46.400 --> 0:15:47.920 listened to us, and so it was really great to 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:53.720 see government agency working with restaurants. Being Administrator Guzman, so 0:15:53.800 --> 0:15:57.400 she's very open to suggestions onto how to make it easier. Yeah, 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:00.680 they were great to work with the processes is. It 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:03.200 was much easier than even P P P. So we 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:07.200 also renew the e r TC, the Revenue Tax Credit, 0:16:07.760 --> 0:16:11.160 and that means that if you you can pay up 0:16:11.200 --> 0:16:14.720 to seven you get a tax credit of up to 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:18.240 seventy percent of the first forty thousand of people's salary 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:20.600 who you didn't who you normally wouldn't be able to 0:16:20.680 --> 0:16:23.600 keep on because of your lost revenues. So people should 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:26.400 look into that. That's in addition to the Restaurants Act. 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:30.000 You can do both. Yeah, that notice it has been 0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:31.800 hard finding staff. And I'm not one of those who 0:16:31.800 --> 0:16:35.160 believe that it's because they're more comfortable with unemployment. I 0:16:35.200 --> 0:16:36.720 think a lot of a lot in our industry. I 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.080 think a lot of people left the industry. We had 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:40.600 a lot of career changes in our industry, and I 0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:43.240 think they went back to their their careers. Also, a 0:16:43.280 --> 0:16:45.120 lot of people started their own businesses. You know, they 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:46.920 had to make the pivot during COVID and they started 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:49.440 baking out of their homes and setting up small businesses. 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:51.200 And I think they've just decided that they'd rather work 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:54.600 for themselves, and so there are uh My understanding is 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:56.480 that there's a ton of new businesses that have been 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.720 started over the last year, UM, and that trend will continue. UM. Also, 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:03.080 a lot of restaurant workers are afraid of coming back 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:05.480 because they're afraid they're only going to get one or 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:07.919 two shifts, and so they're not willing to give up 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:10.919 unemployment only to to to work, you know, one or 0:17:10.920 --> 0:17:13.960 two shifts. Once we come back, fully many more people. Yeah, 0:17:14.000 --> 0:17:17.400 I I believe that's the point. You know, once it's 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:20.240 clear that you know, the vast majority of us are vaccinated, 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:21.840 there are some people who don't want to come back 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:24.520 because they're worried about the COVID and that's understanding that 0:17:24.640 --> 0:17:26.720 they are they are that's going to change over the 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:28.800 next few months, I think, right. And I think the 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:30.440 other important thing for people understand is there are a 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:33.280 lot of women in the industry that their kids are 0:17:33.320 --> 0:17:35.639 home still and they can't go back to work because 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:38.280 they're they're taking care of their children. You know, we're 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:40.600 seeing all the tweets go out by the Republicans that 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:43.440 did not vote for for the stimulus package, and yet 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:46.280 they're sending tweets out saying, you know, if your restaurants 0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:48.360 in my district, you know, go apply. We we got 0:17:48.400 --> 0:17:50.680 to this program and we want you to take advantage 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:52.840 of it. And so that's all only good. And I've 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:56.040 seen that a lot of people are going after them 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:58.560 for taking credit. But I think now now they're on 0:17:58.600 --> 0:18:00.680 record of saying that they did this, they they're gonna 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:02.879 have to plus this up. Let's I think they. I 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:04.760 think they paint themselves into a corner. And the big 0:18:04.800 --> 0:18:07.439 problem will not be getting votes on this proposal, but 0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:09.920 if it's on a must pass bill, because it's hard 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:12.159 to do it alone, that they don't vote against the 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:14.119 must pass bill, and they see I voted for this, 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:16.200 but the must build. You gotta vote for both teams. 0:18:16.200 --> 0:18:19.040 You gotta get the you know, Fauci said something very smart. 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:21.239 He said, just having the vaccines on the shelf does 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:23.919 no good. You gotta getting people on. Just having the 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:26.640 money on the government shelves does no good. You gotta 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:30.560 get it into the restaurant tours hands right. You know, 0:18:30.640 --> 0:18:34.160 I'm wondering, is this is this something where um this 0:18:34.240 --> 0:18:37.480 revitalization fund? Is this a fund that could be used 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:40.360 for localized disasters where let's just say, like we saw 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:42.800 the storm in Texas where these restaurants are forced to 0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:44.760 close for a period of time, that can be used 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:49.399 specifically for for targeting disasters as well. Well, it's for 0:18:49.480 --> 0:18:53.879 this year, yes, but later. But here's something else. Your governors, 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:58.160 your state, your county leaders, mayors, all the local people 0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:00.720 got money. And one of the specific fick uses of 0:19:00.760 --> 0:19:04.120 the money is for disasters or particularly hard hit areas. 0:19:04.560 --> 0:19:07.199 Let's let's say you know the street your restaurant is on. 0:19:07.240 --> 0:19:09.720 The Restaurant Act will help your restaurant, but the street 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:12.840 needs to be revitalized, or you need to do advertising. 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:16.600 Come back to Elm Street. It's alive, it's happening. They 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:18.920 can use this money for that. So I would recommend 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:22.119 people talk to their local officials because there's money in 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:25.960 addition to encourage people to get back out to the restaurants. 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:28.320 They could even advertise come to all the restaurants on 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:31.960 main Street. These seven are open, right. Well, I listen, 0:19:32.240 --> 0:19:34.360 things are changing. When you were in the restaurant last week, 0:19:34.400 --> 0:19:38.760 it was pretty busy. Um, New York. Last month things 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:43.320 have been dramatically increased. And we love the Latta thank 0:19:43.359 --> 0:19:45.320 you what it meant and I forgot it's a thank you. 0:19:45.560 --> 0:19:48.399 So Lata is the town that my my father's family 0:19:48.480 --> 0:19:50.679 is from. That's what I uh. It's about forty five 0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:55.080 minutes northeast of Naples. It's an avellino um in Campanda. 0:19:56.240 --> 0:19:58.159 But there, as it was in your restaurant. You know, 0:19:58.200 --> 0:20:01.280 I've never been, my my brother's been. I've never been 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:04.440 south of Rome, so I need I need to get there. 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:09.119 But um, you've never been to Naples. No, no, no, 0:20:09.320 --> 0:20:11.720 I've been. I've been to Sicily, but I've never been 0:20:11.760 --> 0:20:14.639 to Naples. Yeah. I've noticed that I'm going out to 0:20:14.680 --> 0:20:17.520 tables and everyone's seen. Everyone that's coming in seems to 0:20:17.520 --> 0:20:20.880 be vaccinated. Um, we've got great news. I think today 0:20:20.920 --> 0:20:24.159