GRA Weekly

May 2, 2021

This week's newsletter is brought to you by the UGA Small Business Development Center

RRF - APPLY MONDAY!

Registration for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) is now open at restaurants.sba.gov. If you are working with Square or Toast, you do not need to register.

How to prepare.

SBA will begin accepting applications via the application portal on Monday, May 3 at 12:00PM EDT. The application portal will remain open to any eligible establishment until all funds are exhausted. In preparation, qualifying applicants should familiarize themselves with the application process in advance to ensure a smooth and efficient application. In addition to registering at the portal, follow the steps below. If you are working with Square or Toast, you do not need to register.

Review the sample application, program guide and cross-program eligibility chart on SBA COVID-19 relief options.
Review the Step-by-Step Guide and FAQ's supplemental documents created by our partners at the National Restaurant Association.
Applications must be submitted in English or Spanish. We provide documents in additional languages to help you understand eligibility requirements, fill out applications, and answer frequently asked questions. See the additional languages and materials here.
If you were unable to attend one of the webinars held earlier this week which covered program details and a demonstration of the application portal, you can watch the recording here.

For more information, visit sba.gov/restaurants.

Restaurant Revitalization Fund Important Links

SBA - Restaurant Revitalization Fund Website

Comprehensive website with information to help you understand the program details, how/when to apply, documents needed when applying, allowable use of funds and more.

Step-by-Step Guide

Created by our partners at the National Restaurant Association, this guide will walk you through step-by-step on how to apply.

SBA Form 3172

Restaurant Revitalization Funding Application Sample.

Frequently Asked Questions

This comprehensive document will answer your most common questions about eligibility, how to apply, documentation needed, and how much you might receive.

SBA RRF Program Guide

In-depth guide created and published by the SBA on April 17, 2021.

Form 4506-T

Request for Transcript of Tax Return, or Form 4506-T, is required to apply for an RRF grant application.

National Restaurant Association's RRF Website

Frequently updated with resources you need to know about the RRF grant process.

RESTAURANT BOOM? 11ALIVE REPORTS

NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER

Governor Kemp Issues NEW Executive Order Effective May 1 at 12:00AM

On Friday, April 30, Governor Brian P. Kemp issued a new Executive Order relating to COVID-19 in Georgia and guidelines businesses must follow. Executive Order 04.30.21.01, reduces the total guidelines for Restaurants, Bars, Event Venues, etc. down to seven (7) total. It will become effective on May 1 at 12:00AM and goes until May 30, 2021 at 11:59PM. The latest Executive Order Guidelines include:

Screen & Evaluate workers for COVID-19;
Do NOT allow workers exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms to work;
Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule;
Post Entrance Sign;
Where practicable, physical barriers at registers should be used;
Use technological solutions to reduce person-to-person interaction where possible;
Ensure Ventilation systems are operating properly;

The following guidelines have been removed from the Executive Order but restaurants may continue to require their own safety protocols as they best see fit for their business:

No worker is required to wear face coverings;
No minimum distancing requirements between tables.

US DEPT OF LABOR UPDATE

Tip Regulations Under FLSA

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a final rule delaying portions of the 2020 Tip final rule until December 31, 2021.

The remainder of the 2020 Tip final rule will become effective April 30, 2021 including the rules addressing:

A prohibition on employers, including supervisors and managers, keeping tips received by workers, regardless of whether the employer takes a credit for workers’ tips toward their obligation to pay those workers minimum wage.
The record keeping requirements for an employer that does not take a tip credit to include non-tipped workers, such as cooks and dishwashers, in nontraditional tip-sharing arrangements.
An employer that collects tips for tip pools must fully distribute tips no later than the regular payday for the workweek or pay period in which the tips were collected.

The eight-month extension of the effective date for specific portions of the 2020 Tip rule allows the department time to address additional questions of law, policy and fact and complete separate rule making related to the assessment of civil money penalties, and the application of the FLSA’s tip credit provision to tipped employees who also perform non-tipped work.

For more information on protections for tipped workers and others under the FLSA, visit www.dol.gov/agencies/whd, or call toll-free 1-866-4US-WAGE to speak directly and confidentially to a trained Wage and Hour Division (WHD) professional. WHD protects workers regardless of immigration status, and can communicate with workers in more than 200 languages. Read More.

RRF TRAINING

Pick a Time that Works for You!

Each SBA District Office located across the Southeast Region will host a presentation and Q & A on the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). These informational sessions are designed to help you understand program eligibility, allowable use of funds, and application submission options. You are invited to select any time that works best for your schedule on Tuesday, May 4.

The links below will be your access to the event. Please click on the link at the time of the event. No registration is required. All are open to the public, closed press.

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021

Join a Microsoft Teams event below:

IMPORTANT TAX CREDITS

Tax Credits for Restaurants providing Employees paid leave to receive COVID-19 Vaccines

Eligible Employers.

An eligible employer is any business, including a tax-exempt organization, with fewer than 500 employees. An eligible employer also includes a governmental employer, other than the federal government and any agency or instrumentality of the federal government that is not an organization described in section 501(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code. Self-employed individuals are eligible for similar tax credits.

Paid sick and family leave for which tax credits can be claimed.

Eligible employers are entitled to tax credits for wages paid for leave taken by employees who are not able to work or telework due to reasons related to COVID-19, including leave taken to receive COVID–19 vaccinations or to recover from any injury, disability, illness or condition related to the vaccinations. These tax credits are available for wages paid for leave from April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021. Read More.

See a helpful Snapshot here.

UPCOMING WEBINAR

Restaurant Revitalization Fund Update, hosted by Small Business Series

The American Rescue Plan Act established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) to provide financial support to help eligible businesses keep their doors open. This program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used for eligible uses no later than March 11, 2023.

Thursday, May 6, 2021 | 3:00PM - 4:40PM

RESTAURANT RESET WEBINAR SERIES

The Restaurant Reset series, presented by the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, is designed to train restaurant owners and operators in the areas they need for their business to be successful.

Over seven sessions, topics include: financing, marketing, customer retention, alternative lending, finding and retaining employees and expanding food services. Taught by a team of restaurant experts – you will leave with a better understanding of steps needed to ensure your venture is a success. Link to register: www.georgiasbdc.org/restaurant-reset