Third round of grant program opens for businesses affected by Washington’s virus restrictions

The state opened a new grant program today for restaurants, gyms, bowling alleys and venues stifled by Gov. Inslee’s coronavirus restrictions imposed on Nov. 15.

The Working Washington Small Business Grants offer up to $20,000 per recipient. The state has $50 million available to distribute for this third round of the grant program. But some local restaurant owners say the grants aren’t enough to make up for the lost revenue.

Mark Matthias, owner of Beaches restaurant, has been a critic of the state’s decision to limit restaurants to outdoor dining only. He said he’ll apply for the grant, but added it isn’t going to help all the businesses that need money to stay open or be compensated fairly.

“It’s nice that the state did that, but it’s not close to compensating businesses that were forced to close,” Matthias said. “It’s a real Band-Aid that keeps people going another week.”

Rich Lieser, co-owner of Roots, said that he too will apply for a grant, but until restaurants are able to get back to full capacity, the business model is broken.

“Is it enough? No,” he said. “What is enough? A lot of restaurant owners are hanging on to the hope that we will get back to 100 percent (capacity). Until then, you’re treading water and losing money.”

The grants are prioritized for businesses that had $5 million in revenue last year or less. They are open to all businesses in the state, but restaurants, gyms, bowling alleys and music and event venues will have priority.