Oh, how we hardly knew ye Restaurant Revitalization Fund. After serving just 105,000 restaurant operators over less than a single month, the RRF is officially being shut down by the SBA. Despite having a total of $26.8 billion in funding, the RRF flew through its allotted amount of money quickly. With lawsuits alleging discrimination and the rescinding of thousands of grants, some are viewing the RRF as a complete failure. On this episode of the Happy Mouth podcast, restaurateur Philip Camino and chef Nyesha Arrington take a look back at the RRF and its pending shutdown. Nyesha and Philip also discuss if the RRF was a failure and what should have been done differently. Listen to Philip and Nyesha discuss the RRF ending: The RRF opened for applications on May 3, 2021, receiving more than 186,000 applicants in the first two days The RRF had been funded with $28.6 billion, with $5 billion earmarked for small businesses -- Which ran out in just 21 days Women, veterans, and those who are socially and economically disadvantaged received priority That priority treatment spurred several lawsuits against the Small Business Association (SBA), including one that was successful The SBA has rescinded almost 3,000 awards from those prioritized individuals A bill was introduced in the Senate to refill the fund with a proposed $60 billion, though it’s struggling to find bipartisan support The SBA has announced they’ll disable the RRF portal on July 14, meaning they’ll no longer accept applications The SBA awarded money to 105,000 restaurant operators before funds ran out, though 265,000 applications didn’t receive any money Links: Happy Mouth Podcast Instagram Restaurant Business - SBA pulls the plug on the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Restaurant Business - SBA stops Restaurant Revitalization Fund payments after courts rule they’re discriminatory Independent Restaurant Coalition - Contact Congress Deeper Dive podcast - Is there any hope for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund? We have a lot more content coming your way! Be sure to check out our other shows: Full Comp  The Happy Mouth Morning Show Restaurant Marketing School The Playbook