Grubhub is excited to announce that we are partnering with National Asian Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (National ACE) to launch the AAPISTRONG Restaurant Fund to support independent, AAPI-owned restaurants.

The AAPISTRONG Restaurant Fund is available to help restaurants respond to post-pandemic challenges and support themselves as the country opens up. The fund supports AAPI-owned restaurants through monetary grants to aid with paying employee’s wages or repairing damage to the restaurant caused by discrimination or bias.

AAPI-owned restaurants were among the hardest hit during the early days of the pandemic. Consumer prejudice and misperceptions coupled with nationwide shutdowns caused roughly half of the Chinese restaurants in the U.S. to close by April 2020.

“Our AAPI-owned restaurants have experienced severe losses throughout the pandemic and even worse, are victims of hate, discrimination, and bias at their place of business. Grubhub’s ongoing commitment to AAPI-owned restaurants is demonstrated by the support they provided during AAPI Heritage Month. This contribution from Grubhub will provide hope for AAPI restaurant owners that were not eligible for PPP or RRF funds.”

Chiling Tong
President and CEO of National ACE

Supporting AAPI-owned restaurants

Eligible restaurants across the country will be able to apply for a $100,000 or $8,000 grant from the AAPISTRONG Restaurant fund. Nearly 200 restaurants will be awarded this grant in September. Grubhub is supporting this fund with a $2 million donation from our “Donate the Change” program.

How to apply for the AAPI-owned restaurants grant

Eligible restaurants across the country will be able to apply for a $100,000 or $8,000 grant from the AAPISTRONG Restaurant fund. Nearly 200 restaurants will be awarded this grant in September.

All AAPI-owned restaurants across the U.S. are eligible to apply for the AAPISTRONG Restaurant Fund grant. Restaurants can apply for this grant starting August 4, 2021.

To qualify for grant assistance, AAPI-owned restaurants must meet all the following requirements:

• Be at least 51% AAPI-owned an operated
• Complete the application before August 31st or be the first 100 applicants per region
• Be based in the U.S. and operate in 3 or fewer locations
• Provide financial verification that business was negatively impacted by the pandemic
• Outline a detailed plan of how the award will be utilized

Applications will close on August 31, 2021 and grants will be fully awarded to restaurants by early October.

Does your restaurant meet this criteria? Find out more about the grant and fill out the application here.

We Serve Restaurants

Grubhub has made it our mission to support all restaurant partners as they navigate reponing in a post-pandemic world. AAPI-owned restaurants are particularly vulnerable to these reopening challenges due to the rise in hate crimes and discrimination.

“The unparalleled diversity of cuisines offered by restaurants is an important part of the cultural fabric of every city across the country,” said Kevin Kearns, Senior Vice President of Restaurants at Grubhub. “While every restaurant has been impacted by the pandemic, the AAPI community and its businesses have experienced a horrific and unacceptable rise in hate crimes and discrimination. That is why we are proud to partner with National ACE to give back to AAPI-owned restaurants that need a little extra help to get back on their feet.”

At Grubhub for Restaurants, we are committed to addressing the individual needs of our restaurant partners. Watch our recent Restaurant Roundtable to hear our AAPI-owned restaurant partners discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their business and explore how food can bring cultures together.