The news that we did not get the RRF replenishment bill through was a gut-punch to our Wisconsin Restaurant Community. Everybody, including myself and my entire team at the Wisconsin Restaurant Association, are upset and, honestly, scared for the future. Even though we are crushed by the outcome, it was not without a great deal of effort on your part and on ours. I want to share some of the actions and activities that have been part of our ongoing efforts to tell the story of devastation and impact the pandemic has, and continues to have, on our industry. 
 
We knew from the beginning Congress did not fully fund the RRF and replenishment was an uphill climb, but one that was critically necessary. The likelihood of replenishment was always a longshot, but that did not stop us from working to overcome every obstacle we could.  
 
Through your calls, messages, emails and engagement through our action alert system, many thousands of messages had been sent during this fight to that end, I wanted to provide you with a more detailed outline of what and how the WRA and National Restaurant Association have been working on your behalf: 
 

• We kept you updated through emails, alerts, and electronic newsletters primarily sent to the WRA membership 

 

• You responded with almost 11,000 messages through our action alert system to Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation asking for RRF replenishment  

 

• WRA held seven virtual and in-person meetings specifically with Senator Ron Johnson and his staff about RRF. This includes an in-person meeting with the Senator with twelve WRA members who flew out to DC to engage with our elected officials on RRF. We also personally expressed our disappointment to Senator Johnson that he did not vote in favor of the much-needed relief desperately needed by our members, whose losses were imposed on them by the government, and not by their own actions. 

 

• WRA held four virtual and in-person meetings specifically with Senator Tammy Baldwin and her staff. Senator Baldwin has been unwavering in her support of our industry and the RRF replenishment efforts. We have personally, in person and on social media, thanked Senator Baldwin for her support on RRF replenishment and efforts to get it passed. 

 

• This does not include the multitude of personal messages we have seen from many of you who have direct contact with our US Representatives and Senators 

 

• We engaged with local media throughout the state on the overall story of the impact on restaurants and the necessity of replenishing the fund 

 

• Through the National Restaurant Association, our lobbyists and industry representatives have been on Capitol Hill with daily meetings and communications with Senate leaders, Senate offices and the White House, urging immediate action.  
   
• It should be noted that even without Senator Johnson’s vote, eight votes from other Republican Senators or from Democratic Senators (who were absent) were needed or the motion was doomed to failure. Our partners at other State Restaurant Associations, plus the National Restaurant Association, have amplified our communication efforts with every Senator in our country. We had bipartisan support for the ultimate bill intent, but the breakdown was how to pay for the fund. 

 
There is no other issue in our history that garnered more action from you, our members. Thank you for your passion and unwavering support of these efforts. We hear you and you can be rest assured that we will continue to fight for our industry in every way possible. We will continue to engage on a host of issues critical to your success and recovery efforts will remain a top focus for us at the local, state, and federal levels. Though RRF replenishment is likely no longer an option, we will continue to fight in any way possible to help our industry survive. 

Kristine Hillmer 
President & CEO 
Wisconsin Restaurant Association  

​The labor shortage in our industry is a threat to every restaurant as we emerge from the pandemic. While there are no silver bullet solutions, we have been working with legislative leaders on ways to help.
 
Last month, the National Restaurant Association announced the introduction of legislation they've been developing to create a new program to offer the start of a solution. The Essential Workers for Economic Advancement (EWEA) Act would create a new guest worker visa program to help restaurants fill jobs that do not require a college degree. 
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It would be incredibly helpful for Congress to hear that you support this program. Click the Take Action button below to contact your representatives in Washington, DC.

On March 15, the Small Business Administration announced a deferment extension for future payments on COVID-related Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). This deferment extension of up to 30 months is effective for all EIDLs approved in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Before this announcement, the deferment allowance was 24 months from the original loan's closing date.
Restaurants should be aware that:

• EIDLS now have a total deferment of 30 months from the date of the loan issuance, but interest continues to accrue during deferment
• The EIDL interest rate for private businesses is 3.75% (2.75% for non-profits) over 30 years
• The SBA warns borrowers that deferments could result in "balloon" payments
• Borrowers may make partial or full payments during the deferment period but are not required to. The SBA recommends using www.pay.gov
• The SBA will not send monthly SBA Form 1201 payment notices, but the SBA will send regular payment reminders via email
• After the deferment period ends, EIDL borrowers will be required to make regular principal and interest payments beginning 30 months from the date of the loan issuance 

Questions? Email or call the Ask WRA Team at 608.270.9950​

As you have likely heard, Congress this week finally reached a bipartisan agreement on their annual spending bill.  The agreement is silent on replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) and no new funds will be directed to complete the mission by funding the 177,000 applications still pending. For Wisconsin, this represents 3,776 establishments who collectively need $715,697,000 to survive. These are losses they endured that were not covered by PPP funds.

The National Restaurant Association called this failure a “gut punch” to our industry and we couldn’t agree more. We left no stone unturned in our efforts to get Congress to fulfill their promise to the restaurant industry. Unfortunately, many leaders in Washington were not willing to commit to replenishment in fear that it would send a message that the US economy is not in recovery. We are waiting for the dust to settle in Washington and to identify if there are other avenues to replenish this sorely-needed program.

This decision from Congress is a huge blow to our efforts and the path forward is very uncertain. Our own data from you show that without these critical dollars, upwards of 40% of our Wisconsin restaurants could close on top of the 10-15% that have already shuttered their doors. Restaurants are going to close as a result of inaction, and thousands of fellow Wisconsinites have answered our call every time we’ve asked you to engage in this fight.

From the start of this pandemic, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association have pursued an “all-of-the-above” strategy for the industry, diving into every issue at the federal, state, and local level that could help or hurt us.  From cocktails-to-go to worker shortages to the recently passed RRF Tax Treatment bill, we have had a seat at the table for every major policy debate underway.  That will not change.

You’ll be hearing more from us and the National Restaurant Association on the outlook for RRF, but in the meantime there’s a host of other issues we need to be focused on. We’re not stopping, and hope you won’t either.

​Kristine Hillmer
Wisconsin Restaurant Association President & CEO

On March 7, 2022 Governor Evers signed into law the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Tax Treatment Bill that was championed by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.

The law updates Wisconsin tax code treatment of RRF grants to conform with federal tax code, treating these grants as non-taxable income, similar to the provisions passed and signed into law for PPP loans earlier this year.

This is great news for RRF grant recipients. It means they will NOT have to pay taxes on the income AND the expenses paid for with the grants can still be deducted as expenses on tax returns.

RRF grant recipients will save money with this tax exemption (some will save thousands of dollars).

The Wisconsin Restaurant Association would like to thank Governor Evers for signing the bill into law and Representative Robert Wittke and Senator Roger Roth for sponsoring the bill. This law will be a great help to restaurants that received RRF grants.

If you have questions about this RRF tax treatment bill, call 608.270.9950 to talk to a Wisconsin Restaurant Association team member.