The outdoor seating grant program will help Loudon businesses pay for heaters, tents and other equipment needed to continue outdoor seating during winter. | Pixabay
The outdoor seating grant program will help Loudon businesses pay for heaters, tents and other equipment needed to continue outdoor seating during winter. | Pixabay
More than 50 Loudoun County businesses received grants to help finance outdoor seating upgrades this winter, as the uncertainty over indoor service weighs in the balance of the pandemic.
The Loudoun Is Ready Outdoor Seating Grant Program made the awards to 53 local businesses, including restaurants, wineries, breweries, distilleries and tasting rooms, the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development reported. Other departments and organizations that helped put the grant program together included Visit Loudoun, the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, the Loudoun Fire Marshal and the county's Finance, Budget, and Building and Development departments.
The grant was an effort to address needs in the business community that were brought to their attention, Buddy Rizer, executive director for Loudoun County, told Loudoun Now
"This started with a proactive outreach to thousands of businesses in the early weeks of the lockdown, which opened crucial lines of communication," Rizer said. "Since then, Loudoun has delivered wide-ranging resources to our businesses as we've identified the need."
The program used $250,000 of federal CARES Act funds for the grants. The goal of the program is to help businesses that have seen negative effects because of restrictions on indoor service aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. Businesses that had already purchased things like tents and heaters to allow for more outdoor seating could get up to $5,000 for other equipment and $1,000 for fuel.
Jan Kernan owns Bleu Frog Vineyards, one of the businesses to receive the grant. Kernan had big plans for events and expanded services prior to the start of the pandemic. Under restrictions, she and her husband had to find a way to keep their business viable and become an outdoor-only venue during the winter. They spent money on tents, heaters and fire pits. Grant money they receive will help pay back at least some of those expenses, which will help the business stay open.
"This grant will help us tremendously, so we can continue service and operations during the winter months, as best we can, without having to shut down," Kernan told Loudoun Now.
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