RESTAURANT RECOVERY IN JEOPARDY: TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE SET FOR 1/26

AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT:          Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas restaurants are at a tipping point, urging Congress to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), a crucially successful recovery program that was underfunded, and has subsequently left over 12,000 small Texas restaurants and their employees in the dark.

The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) will host an important virtual press conference on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 11 a.m. to discuss the latest data and ongoing efforts to replenish the RRF at this critical stage in the industry's COVID-19 recovery. Dr. Emily Williams Knight, Ed.D., President and CEO of the TRA, will lead the conference, where she will be joined by small and independent restaurant operators who can share their personal experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic and the RRF.

Data released just this week confirms that the RRF saved more than 900,000 jobs nationally, including 62,000 in Texas. Of the restaurants that were able to secure a grant, 96% were able to stay in business. As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc across Texas—with long-term effects for workforce shortages, supply chain disruptions, and inflation—Congress must finish the job and replenish the RRF so every eligible small restaurant has a fair chance to survive.

WHEN:          Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 11 a.m. CST

WHERE:        Virtual press conference on Zoom; register HERE.

"We have to be very honest about what's at stake at this stage in the pandemic," said Dr. Emily Williams Knight, Ed.D., President and CEO of the TRA. "Restaurants have gone above and beyond to safely serve their customers, both on premise and through new, off-premise innovations like curbside pickup and alcohol to-go. Despite all of these efforts, thousands of small and independent Texas restaurants will be forced to close for good if Congress does not replenish the RRF now. The data is clear. The RRF works, saving small businesses and jobs. It is no longer acceptable for Congress to ignore the desperate situation and tremendous need of America's restaurants. They must replenish the RRF so every eligible restaurant who applied receives help before it's too late."

ABOUT THE TEXAS RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION
Formed in 1937, the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) serves as the advocate and indispensable resource for the foodservice industry in Texas. As a leading business association, the TRA represents the state's $70 billion restaurant industry, which comprises approximately 50,000 locations and a workforce of 1.3 million employees. Along with the Texas Restaurant Foundation, the workforce development arm of the TRA, the association proudly continues to protect, advance, and educate a growing industry as the TRA enters its 85th anniversary year. For more information, please visit www.txrestaurant.org.

SOURCE Texas Restaurant Association