Loan Forgiveness Webinar, ServSafe Reopening Guidance

The Illinois Restaurant Association continues to engage with local, state, and federal officials to help our employers and employees address concerns about COVID-19.

Please see the below resources and information for your business - updated as of 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.

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Thursday Webinar: PPP Loan Forgiveness Application Guidance

Join the IRA, American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC), Self Help Federal Credit Union, National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA), and The Resurrection Project Thursday, May 21 at 12:00 p.m. (Central) for a webinar to review the SBA's PPP loan forgiveness application process. Have your questions on loan forgiveness answered by Tracy Ward, Director of the SBA 504 Loan Program at Self-Help Federal Credit Union, and other PPP experts.

Topics to be covered in the upcoming webcast include: 

• Detailed discussion of the new PPP loan forgiveness application form 

• Guidance for small businesses and non-profits, including sole proprietorships, on requirements to get PPP loan forgiven 

• Q&A with panel of experts 

Click here to register. 

IRA Continues Push to Move Restaurants into Phase 3

The IRA is advocating for restaurants to resume dine in operations with limited capacity during Phase 3 of Restore Illinois. We will continue to work on this crucial issue as the General Assembly enters session this week.

Read more about the IRA's ongoing efforts:

• WAND - Stay-at-home order could force thousands of Illinois restaurants to close for good

• CBS 2 - Nearly 20% Of Illinois Restaurants Will Go Under In The Coming Months, Says Illinois Restaurant Association

• WBEZ - Restaurant Lobby And Chefs Urge Tweaks To Illinois Reopening Plan

• WGN - Would you eat inside of the restaurant if they were open right now?

• WGN Sunday Spin - What will restaurants look like in a re-opened economy?

ServSafe Reopening Guidance Training Video Now Available

ServSafe, the nation’s leader in food safety training, has released ServSafe Reopening Guidance: COVID-19 Precautions, the third video to help restaurant and foodservice employees learn best practices to employ during the coronavirus outbreak. The course provides best practices for employees of a restaurant preparing to reopen a dining room following a state shutdown. The video is free of charge and available in English and Spanish.

The ServSafe Reopening Guidance: COVID-19 Precautions training video features:

• Knowing the symptoms of COVID-19

• Preventing the spread

• Recognizing actions to reduce employee and guest risk

• Keeping guests and employees safe

• Guidelines for face coverings, hand washing, hand sanitizer use, and food handling

• Guidelines for cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting

• Changes to maintain social distancing

Register to view the video on-demand here.

American Airlines Donates Food to Benefit Restaurant Workers

In partnership with the LEE Initiative Restaurant Workers Relief Program and The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, American Airlines has donated 8,100 pounds of food to benefit Chicago restaurant workers whose jobs have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the airline’s second local contribution to the LEE Initiative, with a total of 13,500 pounds of food donated to the Chicago community kitchen in the last two months.

The donation – consisting of cheddar cheese, olive oil, bagels, tortilla wraps, phyllo crisps, and more – was delivered today to West Town Bakery, which has been transformed into a community kitchen and relief center. The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group chefs will create a menu from the donation and assemble to-go meals and grocery bags that will feed restaurant industry workers over the coming weeks. Click here to read more.