Discussing the bailout for restaurants with Chuck Schumer

And all the food news you missed this week Finally, a bailout | [View on the web]( [from the editor] Hey everyone, I come bearing some positive news at the end of a horrific week. [I got to speak to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday](, and he says he's confident the $28.6 billion legislators put aside for restaurants in the recent $1.9 trillion stimulus package will be replenished should it run out. This is major news, if he's right. The multibillion-dollar carve-out acts as a bailout for independent restaurants and food businesses — a solo operator can claim up to $5 million in losses from 2020 and groups can claim up to $10 million — but there was a very serious fear there wouldn't be enough to go around. If it does indeed get replenished, as the Paycheck Protection Program did fairly easily, it could be the saving grace for hundreds of thousands of restaurants. It's a year late, but it's something. My other takeaway from our conversation was that the lobbying efforts for the restaurant community actually worked. The Independent Restaurant Coalition worked tirelessly from its inception to get restaurant owners and workers (and people like you!) on the phone with lawmakers so they could hear first-hand how hard it's been. And Schumer says that made a huge impact. I'm hoping that with this funding, plus the increased rollout of vaccines and the turning weather, we're finally on our way out of this. [On Eater](#) — Many Americans are first learning about the spike in violence against Asian Americans this week because of the [horrific violence in Atlanta](. But the restaurant community (and others, of course) have been grappling with an increase in [racism](, [vandalism](, threats, and violence since last February (if not before). It's gotten to the point that owners of Chinese restaurants in New York are [closing early and sending staffers home in groups]( to keep them safe. — On the vaccine front, [D.C.]( and [Louisiana]( restaurant workers can get it. Seattle's restaurant workers will be eligible [at the end of the month](. In Vegas, everyone over 16 will be eligible [April 5](. — Health experts on [how vaccinated individuals should be thinking]( about indoor dining. — In reopening news, a couple big holdouts, [Montreal]( and [Los Angeles](, are emerging from lockdown. — Meanwhile, if you want to understand how customers actually behave while dining indoors during a pandemic, [here are testimonials]( from six restaurant workers in Austin. — More on what it means that Uber [has to classify its drivers]( as "workers" (kind of a middle ground between contractor and employee) in the U.K. — For some reason, Pizza Hut [is getting into]( NFTs (nonfungible tokens). — Over half a million Americans have died of COVID-19. Here, [we remember four of them]( who worked in food. [Insert alt text here] [Caramelized pork and eggs at Bé Ù | Wonho Frank Lee]( — Chef Tom Douglas's iconic, 32-year-old restaurant Dahlia is [closing for good](. — Houston Astros fans are [less than thrilled]( that Mario Lopez is opening a branch of his ghost-kitchen tortas franchise in their town. — Save and use the [leftover oil in your fish tins](. — Organizers [hope to save Manhattan Chinatown's beloved Jing Fong]( by buying the lease from the landlord and turning it into a worker-owned co-op. — Female customers [have been pretty offended]( by this D.C.-area chef. He says he just won't let customers walk all over him. — Odes to [52 New York restaurants]( that closed in the last year. — Meet Bé Ù, an LA restaurant with [a triple bottom line](: social justice, economic justice, and environmental sustainability. [Off Eater](#) - Rebecca Traister's [thorough examination]( of the cruelty and incompetence of the Cuomo administration. [NYMag] - This came out a while ago, but I found This American Life's segment about the January 6 insurrection [from the point of view]( of a Black Capitol Police officer devastating. [TAL] - I, like Amanda Hess, [have a parasocial relationship]( with a catty, chatty spin instructor who lives inside my iPad. [NYT] - What happened to the [New York Times Cooking Facebook group](? [Nieman Lab] Take care, and if you like this newsletter, [please forward it to a friend](. — Amanda If you aren’t subscribed to this newsletter, [you can sign up right here](. [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving emails from Eater. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.