When the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly upended the daily routines of American life a year ago, Robert St. John faced a grim reality: his years running a string of successful restaurants in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area might be coming to an end. Within a matter of days, I was having conversations with my wife and kids that we re probably going to lose this house and lose our businesses, and life is going to change drastically going forward, he recalled Wednesday. The outlook was dire.
St. John closed three of his restaurants but hung on as Washington began doling out help for small businesses starting in April. Then came the news Thursday he and thousands of other restauranteurs around the country have been thirsting for: President Joe Biden signed into law a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package with $28.6 billion for family-owned restaurants.