Win-Win with the Restaurant Relief Fund

The recent endeavor to launch a Restaurant  Relief Fund has thus far been a boon to all participants. Launched in April in the Western Cape, it benefits both the ailing sit-down restaurant industry as well as people who are literally starving in the coronavirus pandemic. It seems there is much less participation in the project by Johannesburg restaurants.

The rationale was to get qualifying restaurants to reopen as outlets  that prepare food for the hungry whilst at the same time getting  their staff back to work for an, even if  lesser, subsidized salary.
 
The fund is run by Eat Out International in conjunction with the Community Chest charity organisation. And during this time of Lockdown Level 3 should gain greater momentum throughout the country. It has so far disbursed over R1.4m- received from diverse donors- in total to participating restaurants. 


The funds are allocated as tranches of R50 000 maximum per restaurant applicant and have to be accounted for with records kept for the next five years. 
 
The main criterion for qualifying for the fund is the desire to open a feeding scheme or soup kitchen for the needy, preparing and delivering the food to its recipients.
 
 Many participants have used this as a strategy to simultaneously earn some regular income by supplying online customers with their regular fare, delivered directly by scooter.
 
This group of restaurateurs will have an obvious head-start on those not participating in the scheme when the COVID dust settles.
 
Interested restauranteurs in Joburg can find out more here:
 
www.help.eatout.co.za.  

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