SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - On March 16th Governor Carney restricted restaurants to takeout, delivery and drive-through service. On March 18th he modified that emergency declaration to allow them to sell alcohol, but hostesses, bartenders and waitresses everywhere were left without work. The Delaware Restaurant Association has launched a new industry relief fund. The ‘Restaurant Industry E.A.T.s’ (Emergency Action Trust) will provide direct cash support to industry workers that have been laid off due to the recent restaurant restrictions in Delaware.
The Delaware Restaurant Association estimates 25,000 employees will end up filing for unemployment. DRA says that's about half of all industry employees and that the restaurant industry makes up 10 percent of the state's workforce.
President & CEO Carrie Leishman says in a statement "Our goal is to provide $500 grants to as many qualifying displaced workers as possible. Our initial goal of raising $1 million would provide 2,000 grants to those most in need." Those eligible must prove that they were working at least 30 hours a week in the restaurant industry before the shutdowns and that they have filed for unemployment. With restaurants limited to takeout and delivery, the Crooked Hammock has been forced to lay off its entire team. The restaurant and brewery is doing everything it can to help them file for unemployment and apply for relief funds such as E.A.T.s. "We are trying to inform our employees of any benefit that we learn about that we think could be helpful for them right now," says Crooked Hammock Brewery Founder Rich Garrahan. "The DRA has got the word out and we've also shared that word to our team."
Dogfish Head has already contributed to this cause. Co-Founder and Communitarian Mariah Calagione says the company understands how important it is to give back, even as their restaurants are closed.
"Sam and I created the Beer and Benevolence Foundation and this is our first grant from the foundation," says Calagione. "We're donating $50,000 to the fund to help get it going and we're also donating another $50,000 once they reach $150,000."
Dogfish will also donate the money it earns from the hand sanitizer it's making for the state. Calagione says funds are rolling in from other restaurants but she's hoping restaurant lovers will join the cause too.
The Crooked Hammock has been raising money for its currently laid off employees. Garrahan says they're even inviting the team to pick up dinner to go every night.
"We're really trying to stay connected and supportive of our team and the goal is to bring everybody back on," says Garrahan.
Leishman says the goal is to start distributing the relief funds on April 6th, four weeks after the restaurant shutdowns began. As of Tuesday $80,000 had been raised.
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