Photo by Richard Hurd
DoorDash Announces Winners of the Madison COVID-19 Restaurant Relief Grants
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2021
Contact: press@doordash.com
DOORDASH ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE MADISON COVID-19 RESTAURANT RELIEF GRANTS
Winners will use funds provided by DoorDash’s Main Street Strong effort to help offset the costs associated with running a restaurant amid the ongoing pandemic and local dining restrictions.
MADISON, WI – Today DoorDash announced the winners of the COVID-19 Restaurant Relief Grant program provided through its Main Street Strong effort. These grants are a part of DoorDash’s five-year, $200 million Main Street Strong Pledge to empower local communities, which included a $10 million grant effort across select cities, states, and counties in the U.S. and Canada.
The grants are being administered by Hello Alice and can be used to cover operating costs during this challenging time, including rent, payroll, purchasing PPE, expanding outdoor dining capacity, and other expenses.
The below Madison restaurants have been selected to receive $5,000 grants through the program:
- Bierock
- Bistro 525
- Cafe Domestique
- Cranberry Creek Cafe & Catering
- Crostini Sandwiches
- Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry
- El Rancho Dos Mexican Grill
- Estacion Inka
- Fair Trade Coffee House
- Gates & Brovi
- Green Owl Cafe
- Harvest
- La Taguara
- Lazy Oaf Lounge
- Madison’s
- Mad Seafood Boiler
- Mickie’s Dairy Bar
- Nick’s Restaurant
- Off Broadway Drafthouse
- Orient House Chinese Restaurant
- Osteria Papavero
- Parkway Family Restaurant
- Pizza Extreme
- Roll Play
- Salads UP
- Sconniebar
- Teddywedgers
- The Jet Room
- Tutto Pasta State Street
- Valentia Coffee
All restaurants who applied for a grant will receive free access to the Hello Alice platform, which offers peer-to-peer networking, mentorship, and tools such as the COVID-19 Restaurant Resource Center, a curated list of industry-specific resources, information from fellow restaurant and food service owners about the challenges they’re facing, and how-to guides designed to help restaurants reopen the doors and get back to business. Hello Alice will begin grant distribution in March, with all restaurants receiving their grant by early May.
“We are very excited to have been selected as recipient,” said Sofia R. Pezua, Manager, Estacion Inka. “As we are struggling to cover our business expenses, this grant will allow us to meet those needs and continue to keep our doors open for takeout and delivery while more measures are put in place for restaurants to be able to open for dine-in safely. Thank you!”
When launching the program, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said, “COVID-19 has been devastating nationwide, and has taken a serious toll on our small businesses. Restaurants have searched tirelessly for resources to keep their doors open during the pandemic, as they’ve faced a number of hurdles. I’m thrilled about DoorDash’s relief contributions which will help safeguard our local restaurants during this time of crisis.”
“Restaurants have faced unprecedented challenges in the last year, and DoorDash is proud to support them,” said Alexi Madon, Senior Manager, Government Relations, Central at DoorDash. “It is our hope that these grants will help restaurants as they continue to navigate the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis.”
During the first round of DoorDash’s Main Street Strong COVID-19 relief grants in 2020, 85% of restaurants stated that one of the biggest impacts on their business was reduced sales due to COVID restrictions, and 82% cited lost revenue attributed to the declining economy.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, DoorDash has taken significant active steps to ensure the safety of its entire community, including providing:
● $120 million in commission relief and marketing investments
● 50% reduction in commissions for local restaurants with five or fewer locations in the first months of the pandemic, plus 0% commissions for the first 30 days for restaurants new to DoorDash
● Free personal safety equipment for Dashers, including hand sanitizer, gloves, wipes, and masks
● Two weeks of earnings replacement for eligible Dashers affected by COVID-19
● COVID-19 screenings and telemedicine appointments for just $4 for Dashers, per visit
● Partnering with BlueVine, a leading provider of small business banking solutions, to provide a customized Payment Protection Program (PPP) application for merchant partners to help make PPP loans more accessible.
For a full list of winners across the U.S. and Canada, see Hello Alice’s blog here. Read more about DoorDash’s latest efforts to help the local merchants, Dashers and communities it serves here.
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About DoorDash
DoorDash is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local and national businesses in more than 4,000 cities and all 50 states across the United States, Canada, and Australia. Founded in 2013, DoorDash enables local businesses to address consumers’ expectations of ease and immediacy and thrive in today’s convenience economy. By building the last-mile logistics infrastructure for local commerce, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time.