Escondido Restaurant Receives Grant

ESCONDIDO, CA — Seventy-seven restaurants in San Diego County — including one in Escondido — were chosen by the California Restaurant Foundation to receive grants of up to $3,500 to help recover from COVID-19 pandemic closures. They are among 318 mom-and-pop restaurants in eight counties chosen for the grants. The full list is below.

The Escondido restaurant is Plan 9 Alehouse.

Wells Fargo donated $250,000 for the grants.

"Wells Fargo understands that small restaurants hold the identity of local neighborhoods. We know that it takes more than money to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive recovery," said Gregg Sherkin of Wells Fargo.

"We chose to underwrite the small business support services for all the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund grant recipients to ensure long-term resilience. Through this support, small restaurants will be equipped with everything they need to recover and sustain that recovery."

The grants will be used on payroll and related expenses so the restaurant owner can free up funds for other necessary expenses like rent, technology upgrades and outdoor dining retrofitting.

Restaurant owners will also receive a full year of support services including being welcomed into a cohort and receiving discounts, peer-to-peer support, monthly educational learning opportunities led by experts in marketing restaurant businesses, menu review for improving the bottom line and restaurant essentials.

The Restaurant Care Resilience Fund was started with donations from PG&E, SoCalGas, and San Diego Gas & Electric which donated a combined, $1.25 million. Part of that money is going to a hardship fund for workers.

"Together, with the generosity of SoCalGas, PG&E, SDG&E and Wells Fargo, we are helping one of the hardest hit industries, in some of the hardest hit communities," said Executive Director of the California Restaurant Foundation Alycia Harshfield.

"We are inspired by the determination and grit of the restaurants selected for the Resilience Fund grants. Many are multigeneration, family-owned businesses with amazing stories and connections to their neighborhoods. The addition of the small business support services powered by Wells Fargo complements the financial grants provided by the utility companies and both are critical for long-term resilience as we come out of this pandemic."

To qualify for the grants, the restaurants had to be single-unit, employ fewer than 50 staff people, be currently open and have experienced a revenue loss of at least 20 percent from 2019-2020.

Here is the full list of San Diego County grant recipients:

• Andale Bar and Grill, Bonita
• Romesco Mexiterranean Bistro, Bonita
• Chapters Café, Carlsbad
• Casa Don Diego, Chula Vista
• GK Grill Mongolian Taste, Chula Vista
• Tuktan Thai Food, Chula Vista
• Night & Day Café Coronado, Coronado
• Coffee Coffee, Encinitas
• EVE Encinitas, Encinitas
• GOODONYA Organic Eatery, Encinitas
• Priority Public House, Encinitas
• Plan 9 Alehouse, Escondido
• Doggos Gus, Imperial Beach
• Bubbas Smokehouse BBQ, La Jolla
• Sunshine Pancake House, La Mesa
• The Riviera Supper Club and Turquoise Room, La Mesa
• Villas Mexican Food, La Mesa
• La Original Casa Del Taco, National City
• Bliss Tea & Treats, Oceanside
• Panca Peruvian Cuisine & Rotisserie, Oceanside
• Petite Madeline Bakery and Bistro, Oceanside
• Rookies Restaurant & Sports Bar, Oceanside
• The Miller's Table: Wine Beer & Fare, Oceanside
• Pho Poway Noodle House, Poway
• Rachel's Urban Eatery, Ramona
• Alforon Mediterranean, San Diego
• Andell's Bakery, San Diego
• Bandar Restaurant, San Diego
• Big Front Door, San Diego
• Buga Korean BBQ, San Diego
• Cafe Virtuoso, San Diego
• Camel's Bar and Grill, San Diego
• Casa de Maria Restaurant, San Diego
• Deja Brew Lounge, San Diego
• DeMi Cafe Cafe, San Diego
• DiMille's, San Diego
• Dumpling Inn, San Diego
• El Agave Restaurant & Tequileria, San Diego
• El Guero 2, San Diego
• Encontro North Park, San Diego
• Faridas East African Cuisine, San Diego
• Flavors of East Africa, San Diego
• George's Café, San Diego
• Georgias Greek Cuisine, San Diego
• Holy Matcha, San Diego
• Indian Virsa, San Diego
• Iron Pig Alehouse, San Diego
• Jasmine Seafood Restaurant, San Diego
• Joe's Wings n Fries, San Diego
• Katana Sushi, San Diego
• KUMA Cafe, San Diego
• La Clochette Du Coin, San Diego
• Laylah's Patties and Jerk, San Diego
• Lit'l Pepper Gourmet, San Diego
• Mein St. Asian Kitchen, San Diego
• Minh Ky Restaurant, San Diego
• Mister Falafel, San Diego
• Nomad Donuts, San Diego
• Opera Caffe, San Diego
• Ortega's, A Mexican Bistro, San Diego
• Paradise Biryani Pointe, San Diego
• Petrinis San Diego, San Diego
• Pho Ha Noi Asian Cuisine, San Diego
• Pushkin, San Diego
• RUST, San Diego
• Sabrina Cafe & Deli, San Diego
• Shank & Bone, San Diego
• Soleluna, San Diego
• StreetCar Merchants, San Diego
• Sushi 2 on Broadway, San Diego
• Sushi Yaro, San Diego
• The Butcher Shop Steakhouse, San Diego
• The Cat Café, San Diego
• Tito's Deli, San Diego
• Trevi Ristorante, San Diego
• Tsuruya Sushi, San Diego
• Vietnamese & Chinese Noodle House, San Diego

Patch editors Bea Karnes and Kristina Houck contributed to this report.