NJRHA and DoorDash Partner to Distribute $500,000 to New Jersey restaurants 

Grants dedicated to helping restaurants amidst cold weather and ongoing COVID-related challenges 

New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association is excited to announce a new grant program, funded by DoorDash and administered by the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association.  DoorDash is generously donating $500,000 to the NJRHA to award grants to restaurants to help them offset costs amidst cold weather and ongoing COVID-related challenges. Restaurants will be able to apply for $2,500 or $5,000 in funding which can be used to pay rent, purchase cold-weather equipment, PPE, and more. This grant is part of DoorDash’s five-year $200 million dollar Main Street Strong Pledge, which includes $10M in grants for restaurants in cities and states around the country.

(GOVERNOR’S OFFICE COMMENT)

“We are thankful to have partners like DoorDash who recognize the dire situation our hospitality industry is in,” said Marilou Halvorsen, NJRHA President and CEO.  “New Jersey’s hospitality industry is one of the hardest hit in the country.   Having  grants like this available for our independent restaurant community will assist in being able to sustain their operations.”

The grant application will be available on the NJRHA grant, www.njrha.org by February 1, 2021.  The grants will be awarded to independent restaurants who have five or fewer locations and can show a loss of at least 30% from 2019.  The criteria is outlined on the application on the NJRHA website.  Applicants do not have to be a DoorDash partner or NJRHA member.

“DoorDash was founded to empower local economies, and we know New Jersey’s restaurants are core to so many communities throughout the state,” said David London, Director of Government Relations, U.S. East, for DoorDash. “We’re proud to fund these grants, and partner with the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association to ensure we can support restaurants who need it most. We know these are challenging times for restaurant owners, and we’re committed to doing our part to help.”

According to DoorDash’s Economic Impact Report:

• Nearly ⅔ of restaurants say they were able to increase their profits during COVID-19 because of DoorDash
• 75% of restaurants agree that DoorDash has allowed them to reach new customers
• 69% of restaurants say they have acquired new dine-in customers through DoorDash

Additionally, the odds of staying open during COVID-19 are 6x more likely for restaurants on DoorDash.

For more information on DoorDash’s efforts, visit the DoorDash blog. For more information on the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association, visit https://www.njrha.org.

About NJRHA

NJRHA was founding in 1942 to support and advocate on behalf of the hospitality industry.  Representing over 25,000 foodservice establishments and 350,000 employees, the NJRHA represents the states largest private-sector employer and generates 18.1 billion dollars in tax revenue to the state.

About DoorDash 

DoorDash is a technology company that connects customers with their favorite local and national businesses in more than 4,000 cities and all 50 states across the United States, Canada, and Australia. Founded in 2013, DoorDash empowers merchants to grow their businesses by helping to solve mission-critical challenges, such as customer acquisition, on-demand delivery, insights and analytics, merchandising, payment processing, and customer support. By building the last-mile delivery logistics platform for local cities, DoorDash is bringing communities closer, one doorstep at a time. Read more on the DoorDash blog or at www.doordash.com.