The Massachusetts legislature struck a deal in the early hours of the morning on January 6 in the form of a $626 million economic development bill. The bill, which is a compromise between the House and the Senate and came together after five months of back and forth discussions between the two bodies, is meant to help stimulate the state’s flagging economy and has big implications for restaurants and third-party delivery apps.
Crucially, the bill sets up a $20 million fund to support struggling restaurants, which will be paid out in grants, though it is unclear at the moment if restaurant operators will be required to pay them back. Details surrounding the application process, including the amount of aid individual restaurants can apply for, are also unclear at the moment.
Restaurantes de MA consiguen negociar un alivio económico Boston's Online Hispanic Community elplaneta.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from elplaneta.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, restaurant owners have made the hard decision to either close their business or remain open and hope that takeout and indoor dining get them through the colder months.
But in late fall, a third option emerged: hibernating, which entails temporarily closing a restaurant with the hope of reopening when the weather is warmer or the world is safer.
Emory “Andy” Kilgore, whose downtown restaurant, The Emory, is closed but hopes to reopen in the spring, told Boston.com in October that he didn’t have a choice.
“Our business is probably 70 percent tourism, Financial District [workers and residents], and State House [employees],” he said. “None of that exists right now. Our sales were