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Nevada restaurants are among the industries hardest hit by the pandemic and restaurant owners and a congresswoman from Las Vegas are hoping the new federal COVID-19 relief law will be another lifeline for those in need. hard to hang on.

U.S. Representative Dina Titus, a Democrat who represents the Las Vegas Strip and downtown, appeared with several restaurant owners on Wednesday to boast $ 28.6 billion in subsidies included in the law signed by President Joe Biden.

Titus said the help is critical for the industry in Nevada, where about 30% of 5,980 restaurants have closed due to the pandemic, according to the Nevada Restaurant Association.

“Some of them will come back but others won’t and so we want to do everything we can to help them because not only are these fun places to go, but they add to the diversity and culture of our community,” said declared Titus. .

The law provides for grants equal to the amount of lost revenue from a restaurant, up to a maximum of $ 10 million per business and $ 5 million per location. Eligible companies cannot be listed on the stock exchange. The bill provides a total of $ 5 billion for restaurants with annual revenues not exceeding $ 500,000.

The grants, which are expected to start dispersing in the coming weeks, can be used for a variety of expenses, from payroll and rent to cleaning or spending on food and drink.

Unlike other aid programs approved over the past year to help businesses cover their wage costs, the flexibility of the grant program will allow restaurants like Esther’s Kitchen in Las Vegas to purchase from its employees. Food and beverage providers in the restaurant’s food chain, chef and owner James Trees said.

“We have the opportunity to go back to using our suppliers, to appeal to our farmers, and that will help local businesses all around the valley,” he said.

John Anthony, manager of Sparrow + Wolf restaurant in Las Vegas, said other assistance programs, such as Paycheck Protection Program loans, carry a risk for businesses of not being forgiven and of being forgiven. have to be reimbursed.

“We’re worried at all times that we won’t have a rebate so that will turn into a real loan,” Anthony said. “So what we’re putting in is debt on these restaurants that are really trying to survive this pandemic.”

He said the new grants will provide some certainty and allow restaurants to plan for the future.

Alexandria Dazlich, director of government and public relations for the Nevada Restaurant Association, said the grants were needed for restaurants, which are now forced to operate at 50% capacity and try to hang on until they can open completely.

“While there have been a few cases of restaurant opening, which is encouraging, the overall situation in the industry remains dire,” she said. “For restaurants to start to recover, they need to be operating at 100% capacity. “

Gov. Steve Sisolak has not offered a timeline for this to happen, but the state is expected to hand over the decision on restaurant capacity limits and other mitigating measures to county officials on May 1.