Main Street Kitchen & Tap In Lake Elsinore Receives Grant

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — More than two dozen restaurants in the Inland Empire — including one in Lake Elsinore, and others in surrounding Southwest Riverside County — were awarded grants totaling $87,000 to pay for new equipment and cover employees' costs and related expenses under a support program operated by SoCal Gas and other entities, it was announced Thursday.

Main Street Kitchen & Tap in Lake Elsinore will receive $3,000 as part of an annual disbursal from the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund, which is managed by the California Restaurant Foundation and financially supported by SoCal Gas, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Wells Fargo.

In total, 29 establishments in Riverside and San Bernardino counties received the $3,000-apiece in funding.

"Independent restaurants are critical to the fabric of our communities because they contribute to culture, they foster job growth and contribute to the economic vitality of the neighborhoods they serve," SoCal Gas Vice President David Barrett said.

Murrieta eateries Sharon's Creole Kitchen and Fat Cats Pizza & Pasta also received the funding.

"On behalf of the city of Murrieta, I would like to thank SoCal Gas for supporting the recovery of local restaurants with their grant program," Murrieta Mayor Jonathan Ingram said."Our restaurants have had to think outside of the box and be more creative than ever to survive ... It's hard to imagine how a business can remain open when its income is slashed by 50 percent or more for many months."

According to officials, the goal of this year's awards distribution was promoting the long-term financial health of restaurants. The leisure and hospitality industry was one of the most impacted by the coronavirus public health closures, resulting in permanent shutdowns throughout the region and state. Grant funds can be used for equipment outlays, retention bonuses and interior or exterior upgrades.

"With all the challenges restaurants have faced just to survive these past two years, these grants ... will really make an impact for our small business owners," Moreno Valley Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez said.

In addition to the 29 grants in the Inland Empire, dozens of independently owned eateries elsewhere in California also received awards. The complete list of recipients can be found here: www.restaurantscare.org/resilience.

—City News Service contributed to this report.