40 Prince George's Restaurants Win $5K To Overcome Pandemic

Bowie MD

16 April, 2021

3:20 PM

Description

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — DoorDash, a food delivery service, awarded $5,000 to 40 restaurants in Prince George's County. The aid will help the eateries push through the coronavirus pandemic, which has hurt local sales. A business networking website called Hello Alice will administer the grants. Hello Alice announced the winners on March 3. The Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation cheered the recipients in its April 7 newsletter. "Prince George's County small businesses, especially its restaurant and food services community has suffered tremendously as a result of the pandemic," County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said in the email. "We are pleased that our commitment to supporting this community is shared by our friends at DoorDash and Hello Alice through its grant program." The grants are part of DoorDash's $200 million commitment to help small businesses. The initiative, called the Main Street Strong Pledge, will assist small eateries over the next five years. This was the second round of grants. The first batch sent $2 million to restaurants in Chicago, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and San Jose. DoorDash upped the ante this time around, offering $10 million spread across 10 states and three Canadian cities. The awards will cover operating costs like rent, payroll, personal protective equipment and expanded outdoor capacity. "Having these kinds of resources available to our business community will surely help them withstand this pandemic and emerge stronger as we recover from COVID-19," Alsobrooks added. Each winner has three or fewer locations, reported under $3 million in revenue per store during 2019 and employs 50 workers or less per site. Every eatery that applied also earned free access to Hello Alice. These restaurateurs took home the grand prize: Annie Esguerra, Banana Blossom BistroAntoniese Ruffin, Cheers at 301Claudia Adejare, Tarmac Lounge and RestaurantColette Benie, Colettes's CafeCorries Hardy, Hardys BBQDavid Son, Manna Corporate DeliDebby Portillo, Dumm's Pizza & SubsDong Kim, Cafe ContinentalDoris Tucker, 301 Nutrition SpotEric Shin, Seoul SpiceGarrick Lumsden, Pennyroyal StationGary Jamal Kelly, Dogs on the CurbHyun Kim, Hanabi Japanese Steak and SeafoodIrene Song, Hanami Japanese RestaurantJavier Fernandez, Emerita's Restaurant & Carry OutLisa Nash, The Jerk PitLloyd Smith, Crave It On MainLois Aba Kwakyewaa Yankah, Sankofa Cafe and Food ServicesMaria Koumpouras, Marathon DeliMary Romero, LaceibaMichael Etienne, The RailMichael Chmar, The Board and BrewSeeta Deonauth, Cecil's BarSheng Gao, Blue Sunday Bar and GrillSil Mudsi, Balkonie Restaurant Bar and GrillSonia Amo-Akonnor, The Hunger TamerStaley, Casablanca CaféToyin Alli, Puddin'Veronica Lee, Casey's CoffeeVictorious Hall, SpizzyYoung Sun Kim, Yolo Chicken and PochaAdam Greenberg, Bagels 'n GrindsMichael Woo, Pho88Lorraine Newton, Taste of the CaribbeanMamadou Fall, Chez DiorWenting Jiang, East PearlMark Srour, Cornerstone Grill & LoftCandi Dailey, Ruby's Southern KitchenNgoc Anh Thi Do, Pho Tai 63Chih Chang, Andrews Restaurant The full list of awardees is available here. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. Download our mobile application from the App Store or Google Play. Have a story idea? Please contact me at [email protected] with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.