Restaurant Revitalization Fund: Before You Apply, Read This

By now, you’re probably well aware that the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 has been passed. The Act created a $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) — which most are viewing as a huge win for the hospitality industry.

Of course, like any piece of legislation, the RRF comes with a lot of fine print. So we partnered with CohnReznick to answer your top questions, clear up misconceptions, and help you prepare.

Not sure if you qualify? Or what you’re entitled to? Or how is this different from the PPP? We cover it all in our Q&A below. Read on!

(Please keep in mind: this does not take the place of legal or accounting advice!)

Restaurant Revitalization Fund:

The highlights

$28.6 billion in funding for restaurant relief signed into law on March 11, 2021
Administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
Eligible entities can receive a tax-free grant of up to $10 million total, with a cap of $5 million per location
The amount of the grant must not exceed the “pandemic-related” revenue loss

We interviewed Stephanie O’Rourk, CPA and partner at CohnReznick, to get the lowdown on the RRF. Stephanie leads the firm’s National Hospitality Emerging Concepts and Operational and Financial Consulting Divisions.

A lot of restaurants are pretty familiar with the PPP at this point. How is the RRF different?

There are some similarities between the PPP and the RRF, especially when it comes to tax treatment and permissible utilization of funds.

But the biggest differential between the two— and this is considered a huge win for the industry — is that while the PPP is distributing loans, the RRF is distributing tax-free grants. That means you have nothing to pay back, you won’t owe any taxes on the amount you receive, and (another bonus), as long as you follow the RRF guidelines, everything you use the grant funds for is tax deductible.

Other things to note with the RRF:

A longer covered period to utilize the funds
No specified percentages as it pertains to how much of the funds need to be utilized for eligible payroll expenses
No complex loan forgiveness process to deal with, which means there’s more flexibility for restaurant operators to utilize the funds in a manner that makes the most business sense for their day-to-day operations and individual situations.

Can you give us a quick rundown of who actually qualifies for a grant?

Restaurants, food stands, food trucks, food carts, caterers, saloon, inns, taverns, bars, lounges, brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms, licensed facilities or premises of a beverage alcohol producer where the public may taste, sample, or purchase products, or other similar places of businesses in which the public or patrons assemble for the primary purpose of being served food or drink; including an entity located in an airport terminal or that is a Tribally-owned business.

Who doesn’t qualify?

If you are a group of affiliated entities with more than 20 locations, you aren’t eligible for this grant. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing business under the same or multiple names.
State and government operated entities
Publicly traded entitites
Any entities with pending or approved grants under the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant

How do you define a group of affiliated entities?

The Act defines an affiliated business as a business in which: “an eligible entity has an equity or right to profit distributions of not less than 50%,” or “an eligible entity has the contractual authority to control the direction of the business.”

How do franchisees fit into this?

Franchisees of chain restaurants are eligible, but the “not more than 20-location” rule still applies for affiliated groups.

Let’s say you own 5 Applebee’s locations, 7 Jimmy John’s locations, and 9 Denny’s locations. The SBA is looking at all of those combined, so you would exceed the 20-location rule and none of your affiliated restaurants would be eligible for the grant.

How do I determine how much I’m entitled to?

The legislation states that the amount of the grant must not exceed the “pandemic-related” revenue loss. For businesses in operation for all of 2019, the pandemic-related revenue loss is calculated by subtracting your 2020 gross receipts from your 2019 gross receipts.

But we’re seeing a lot of misinformation out there, largely because of the PPP. The new legislation also states that the pandemic-related revenue loss amount you’re entitled to will be reduced by any PPP loans that you received (both 1st and 2nd draw amounts) — until further guidance is released by the SBA operators should assume the total amount received regardless of whether you have repaid a portion or all of your loan. As an example:

Let’s say you did the math and determined that your pandemic-related revenue loss was $30 million.
At some point, you received a PPP loan for $10 million.
And as of December 27, 2020, you’ve returned $5 million of that PPP loan.

The SBA is saying your pandemic-related revenue loss is going to be $20 million — not $30 million, and not $25 million, making you eligible for a potential $10 million for an affiliated restaurant group, and $5 million if you operate one physical location.

We could receive more specific guidance around this in the coming weeks. But for now, the Bill states the total amount of PPP loans received must be subtracted.

With that in mind, how should restaurants be handling their PPP loans?

Restaurants have until March 31, 2021, to draw or re-apply for the PPP. Businesses that were previously approved for a PPP loan but decided to return a portion or the full amount of their PPP loan proceeds should consider whether to re-apply for their originally approved maximum loan amount.

What if a restaurant opened in mid-2019, or at some point in 2020? How do they calculate their loss?

For entities not open for the entirety of 2019, average monthly receipts multiplied by 12 may be used for both 2019 and 2020.
If the entity opened during the period beginning on Jan. 1, 2020, and ending on the day before the date of enactment, the grant is calculated by taking the entity’s eligible payroll costs incurred by the entity and subtracting any gross receipts received.
For an entity that is not yet open at the date of application, the grant is the amount of eligible payroll costs incurred

It’s worth noting that SBA reserves the right to implement an alternate formula for any of the above-mentioned scenarios.

What can I use the grant for?

It’s pretty well defined and very similar to the PPP. Payroll costs, principle and interest payments on mortgage obligations, rent, utilities, maintenance expenses (including construction to accommodate outdoor seating as well as walls, floors , deck surfaces and FF&E), supplies (including PPE and cleaning supplies), normal food and beverage inventory expenses, paid sick leave and any other expenses the SBA determines to be essential to maintaining an eligible entity..

You cannot use the funds for business expansion purposes as this is not deemed a permissible usage of the funds. And you’ll need to be prepared to make the same good faith certification that PPP borrowers made — i.e., current economic conditions makes necessary the grant request to support the ongoing operations of the eligible entity.

Transparency is key. We expect the SBA will reserve the right to audit businesses to ensure the grant was properly used, so excellent record keeping is important.

If a recipient of the grant does not use all grant funds or permanently ceases operations on or before the last day of the Covered Period (defined as beginning Feb. 12, 2020, and ending Dec. 31, 2021, or an alternative date to be determined by the SBA that is not later than two years after the date of enactment) any remaining funds must be returned to the Treasury.

What’s the timeline like, and who gets priority? (Translation: When will I see the money?)

The SBA has 60 days from the date of enactment to formulate the rules and regulations of the program, and then applications open up.

When that happens, you’ve probably heard that the first $5 billion has been earmarked for businesses with not more than $500,000 of 2019 gross receipts. Further, for the first 21 days, all grants will be prioritized for small businesses owned and controlled by women, veterans, or other socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

Beyond that, one can not automatically assume it will be based on a first come first served basis; it’s possible that the SBA could issue additional guidance. If the current PPP round is any indication, there’s going to be a heavy focus on helping out Main Street America — those operators who really don’t have access to capital or other financial resources. Average PPP loan sizes in this last go around are hovering under $70,000, so it will be interesting to see if they prioritize the smaller grants here too, before getting to those larger ones.

So, it seems like restaurants are in a holding pattern. Is there anything they can do to prepare while they wait for applications to open up?

It’s definitely a good idea to have everything locked and loaded. There are a few things you might consider doing:

Gather the right financial information. For example, financial statements and tax returns for 2019 and/or 2020. If you’re a smaller operator and you don’t have sophisticated recordkeeping, you may be able to show documentation like bank statements and deposits, which were allowed on the second draw PPP loans.
Get a DUNS number. The Shuttered Venues Operator program required applicants to have an active registration in the U.S. government’s System for Award Management (SAM). To do that, you’ll need a DUNS number. You can learn more about the process here: [link]

What’s the general consensus about the RRF? Do we think it will truly move the needle in terms of recovery for the industry?

This is a long-awaited program and has been requested by many groups that advocate for the industry, including the National Restaurant Association, the Independent Restaurant Coalition, and various State Restaurant Associations.

Again, the fact that it’s a grant, not a loan, is a tremendous win — and being that the grant is not deemed to be taxable income to the recipients and permissible expenses are tax deductible makes this program that much sweeter for the industry.

Do I think it’s going to go fast? Yes, I do. While $28.6 billion appears to be a lot of money, there are numerous businesses that continue to be in economic distress and are hungry for a program such as this one. Hopefully this fund will give these businesses the support they need to make it through the next 6, 9, 12 months — until our country gets back to some semblance of a new normal.

About CohnReznick

As a leading advisory, assurance, and tax firm, CohnReznick helps forward-thinking organizations achieve their vision by optimizing performance, maximizing value, and managing risk. Clients benefit from the right team with the right capabilities; proven processes customized to their individual needs; and leaders with vital industry knowledge and relationships.

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Restaurant Management

4 Ways to Save on Restaurant Labor Costs with Kickfin

In the restaurant industry, profit margins have always been tight — and these days, they’re only getting tighter.

Running a restaurant is a labor intensive business. You need a strong back of house team to push out food, front of house workers to greet and care for guests, and managers to keep everyone in check. Naturally, labor is one of the most significant expenses for restaurant operators. In order to keep costs reasonable for customers, even a slight overage on labor can break your budget — but thankfully there are levers you can pull to reduce labor costs.

If you want to secure your business’s financial future, you’re going to need to streamline scheduling practices and keep a close eye on labor costs… without frustrating employees who want more shifts.

Don’t worry: you can turn to traditional wisdom, sales forecasting, and emerging restaurant technology to make sure that you stay on budget.

Here are a few ways you can save on labor costs at your restaurant:

1. Rethink the schedule

Obviously, the most straight-forward way to cut labor costs is to reduce the number of people you schedule on a given night.

We get it — you don’t want to see hour-long ticket times and poor guest experiences. But you might not need as many folks on the line or servers on the floor as you think — at least, not all the time.

Staffing and scheduling isn’t a perfect science, but there are some tactics operators should test if they’d like to “right size” every shift — including:

Analyze your daily schedule. Don’t make assumptions about your peak times and slow periods. Analyze sales trends and let the data be your guide.
Anticipate seasonal trends. If you’re in a college town, don’t wait until your servers are twiddling their thumbs in July to implement a new summer schedule.
Let your seasoned staff shine. Your veteran employees likely thrive on those super busy nights when they’re running on pure adrenaline (and earning way more in tips). Consider giving more experienced workers more responsibility — assuming they’re willing and able — and you might be able to get away with fewer people on a shift here and there.

>> Learn about scheduling software that helps you manage labor and engage with employees

2. Assess and address productivity

Are you making the most of the team that you already have? There are a few ways you can identify your highest-producing employees and make the most of their success:

Evaluate employee performance. Most employees want to be successful; observe your team and analyzes things like sales per labor hour, table turnover rate, and tip volume to get a sense of your strongest players and those who could use more training (and bonus: this can reduce turnover and boost team morale)

Provide incentives. Create a fun bonus system that rewards strong performance and high levels of productivity. You can use data from the previous data point to set goals.
Cross-train employees. Training your staff to handle multiple roles – or hiring folks with vast service experience – offers flexibility for scheduling and can reduce your need for additional hires.

3. Don’t pay employees to wait for their tips

No, we’re not saying to cut all of your servers early (no matter how much they ask).

But, you can send your servers on their way much quicker when they don’t have to wait around for managers to count out cash tips. Once they’ve finished their sidework, servers can clock out and see their digital tips sent directly to their bank account, instead of hanging around on the clock waiting for the shift manager to do their check outs.

4. Prevent labor overages before they happen

Most restaurants simply can’t afford to pay overtime for staff. But sometimes your full-time staff creep toward 40 hours of work without anyone noticing…and suddenly you’re paying 1.5x what you expected for a single worker.

This, too, goes back to proper scheduling policies. Give yourself a bit of wiggle room for the employee who clocks in 10 minutes early or often takes a long time on sidework by never scheduling anyone for more than 38 hours each week.

5. Pay close attention to clock-outs

People make mistakes, and tired servers often leave their long double shift without clocking out for the night. Usually, they’ll realize their mistake and call the store to have someone clock them out (still adding extra time to their shift).

But sometimes, the clock keeps running all night, and no one notices until it’s time to process payroll. Two weeks later, your admin team is spending way too much time correcting clock-outs so that you don’t end up paying for 8 extra hours of work.

Try using technology that puts guardrails in place to prevent any clock-out mistakes before they happen. Kickfin doesn’t allow you to process and pay out tips until an employee is clocked out, so managers can make sure everyone is clocked out at the proper time.

(We also have some other exciting new features that can make your life easier!)

Not only can Kickfin help you reduce labor costs, but we’re ready to simplify your entire tip management process. Reach out to us to learn more about our instant tip calculations, integrations, and smarter tipping solutions.

Restaurant Management

How to Get Your Restaurant Ready for Football Season

Football is back! Whether you’re rooting for your alma mater or just hoping to see massive sales at your restaurant, it’s an exciting — but often stressful — time of year.

If your restaurant has at least one TV, you’re going to have some customers asking you to switch it to ESPN. And if you’re running a sports bar … it’s officially crunch time. Expect your tables to be full (and harder to turn) and your staff to be running on pure adrenaline as the restaurant fills up with fans hoping for a bite to eat.

You probably know the drill: hire more staff, add more servers to game day schedules, and manage your inventory with hungry fans in mind. But if you want to get the most out of football season, get game-ready for some of the busiest weekends of the year with our tips for a successful season.

Consider a game day menu

When your restaurant is at full capacity with hungry football fans, you might want to consider a limited menu for the weekends in order to keep wait times down. Shorten the food menu down to shareable apps, best sellers, and items with the simplest prep so that your kitchen isn’t lined with tickets at halftime.

At the bar, don’t limit your customers to certain cocktails — but consider the power of suggestion and list out some easy-to-batch cocktails that will keep your service bar out of the weeds.

**Make sure they can watch their game**

Is there anything worse than a group of die-hard fans walking in to see their team play — only to realize you don’t have the right subscription service to stream it? Next thing you know, some guy has commandeered the remote to sign into his YouTubeTV account.

Before that embarrassing situation arises, check your cable listings and subscription services to see if you’re missing any important channels. You’re probably going to need to upgrade in order to show games that aren’t carried in your market. Here are just a few channels you might need:

ESPN+
Hulu + Live TV
Peacock
NFL Sunday Ticket
YouTubeTV or cable
Netflix (yep — Netflix will be streaming a few NFL games this year)

If viewing options are limited, or you don’t have enough screens to air multiple games at once, make sure you’ve got a strong wifi connection (free, of course) so that your guests can watch on their phones — or more importantly, talk smack to their fantasy league.

Offer game day deals

Now that you’re logistically ready for the season, it’s time to draw in the customers. Make your restaurant the place for fans to gather by offering drink specials and deals on appetizers.

Leverage social media to get the word out about your game day deals. Consider paying to boost a post or running a giveaway for people who share a post about your game day specials.

Plan for Post-Game

You don’t want the restaurant to empty out as the clock runs down. Entice fans to stay and celebrate (or lick their wounds) once the game ends by extending deals. That could mean a discount for fans of the winning team or an extra-long happy hour.

Pay out your employees — quickly.

After a long game-day shift, your servers and managers are going to be more tired than usual. Let them head home early by using Kickfin to pay out tips instantly. We take care of all of the tip calculations and send tips directly to servers’ bank accounts in seconds, so your exhausted team members don’t have to wait to put their feet up and rest.

Want to see our instant digital tip outs in action? Get a demo of Kickfin today.

Hiring, Training and Retention, Restaurant Management

The Art of the Upsell: Teach Servers to Increase Average Check Amounts

You want to make more profit. Your servers want to make more tips. A crash course on upselling is a win-win for everyone.

Your servers might not realize it, but their words have a lot of power. Knowing how to present a higher shelf vodka or a premium side could make a world of difference for their wallets.

And beyond the increased checks, pro servers who are able to successfully upsell are also recommending your restaurant’s very best for guests. Those bigger ticket items are often your best dishes or most unique cocktails that will stand out in guests’ minds and make for an elevated dining experience.

Here are a few ways your servers can gently suggest some pricier upgrades that will boost their average check size, making everyone a few extra dollars.

1. Consider your memorable dining experiences

Before you dive into our upselling go-tos, take a minute to reflect on your last really good experience at a restaurant and how your server’s language, attitude, and knowledge affected your experience.

Did your server walk right up and ask if you want an appetizer? Or did they take the time to talk through specials, field questions about menu items, and give you the space you needed to make a decision?

Was your server’s demeanor generally excited and upbeat? Or did they actually look a bit disappointed when you said you’d just be having water?

These small, unspoken cues are what make or break a server’s night. Leading with confidence, positive energy, and genuine concern for your guests’ experience is what will build trust between server and customer, so they’ll be more open to suggested upgrades.

2. Value authenticity

Upselling just for the sake of a higher tip is not a successful strategy.

Remind your servers that while upselling can improve guest experience and your tip, it’s important to flex to the needs of your guests. Don’t continue to push higher priced items if guests are starting to look uncomfortable.

They say the most successful salespeople believe in what they are selling — and the same goes for servers. Your servers should have tasted all of the higher priced menu options and be able to explain to guests why this upgrade brings their dining experience to the next level.

3. Start with the drinks

Alcohol sales are restaurants’ bread and butter. So when a table orders the first round, servers should make it count.

Scenario #1: A customer orders a simple spirit + mixer drink

If a guest asks for a vodka soda, this is an opportunity to turn a $10 drink to $15 or even $20 — which will add up after a few rounds.

Naturally, most servers would ask what vodka the guest prefers. Teach your servers to resist that urge! Instead, servers should offer them a selection of higher-shelf options. For example, a server could respond with, “Vodka soda? Sure, would you like that with Tito’s, Ketel One, Grey Goose…?” And keep listing options until one resonates with the guest. That gives the guest the impression that they have a seasoned, well-informed server, but this framing also leads the customer to choose from the higher-shelf suggestions, rather than just asking for the house vodka.

Scenario #2: Ordering a glass of wine

We’re not suggesting you hire a sommelier, but getting more familiar with common flavor profiles and notes in wine can be a game-changer for servers’ nightly tip income.

Customers often ask for something similar to pinot grigio, cabernet sauvignon, or a pinot noir, and if their server can give a detailed description that makes a wine sound irresistible, they’re probably going to splurge for the higher-end wine. Bonus points for servers who can successfully suggest splitting a bottle (because once they taste it, they’ll want more than one glass!).

Consider hosting a weekly wine training to help your servers get more familiar with what your bar has to offer. Another pro-tip: Teach your servers about beer and wine pairings! When servers let guests know which entrees pair well with the drink they’ve ordered, guests may opt for a higher-priced entree to match their favorite beverage.

Don’t skip over the apps

Not everyone is going to order an app — but there are a few small changes servers can make to their dialogue with customers to convince those who wouldn’t normally spring for a first course.

For one, servers shouldn’t just ask if they’d like anything to start. Instead, teach your servers to approach tables with a suggestion for a specific menu item. For example, they could say, “Would you like a charcuterie board to start? We just added a really delicious local cheddar to our rotation.”

Offering patrons a specific menu item and talking up the details makes it a lot easier to add that extra course to their meal — increasing their check size and making it more likely that they’ll order a second beverage.

Taking the order

When it’s time to take the entree order, this is your servers’ time to shine. Just like the previous courses, they should know how to create opportunities to upsell guests by making entree upgrades too enticing to pass up.

From fine dining to fast casual, many American restaurants offer a burger on their menu. Rather than simply asking, “Great, are fries ok with that?” task your servers with turning a simple cheeseburger into a deluxe meal with several upsells.

First, make sure your staff knows your menu options well, so they can pass along those options to customers. Here are a few common upgrades that servers should be asking guests if they would like:

Pretzel or gluten-free bun
Added cheese
Premium toppings, like bacon, egg, avocado, etc.
A premium patty, like bison or imitation beef

Rather than asking if fries are okay, instruct servers to say, “What side would you like? We have french fries, macaroni and cheese, caesar salad…” and continue with options until one piques the guest’s interest. If they succeed in getting at least one upgrade to a customer’s burger and a premium side, the check can increase by around $4 per person, depending on the pricing at your restaurant.

Higher-end restaurants should follow the same formula, subbing in an option for steak oscar rather than a bacon cheeseburger. The goal is for servers to provide options for guests who may not realize that their favorite accoutrement is on the menu — and will gladly pay for the upgrade.

The grand finale

“Did you save room for dessert?”

Servers often bring out this line while pre-bussing tables, usually expecting guests to say that they’re far too full to even think about dessert. If you want to convince more guests to stick around for a final course, ask your staff to remove that phrase from their vocabulary.

Dessert is a rich treat for the senses that most of us crave at the end of the night, so servers shouldn’t treat it like an afterthought in front of customers. As they’re clearing away dishes, servers can tap into their senses by talking about your pastry chef’s perfect chocolate cake with buttery layers of icing, or the warm peach cobbler served with house-made vanilla ice cream on the side.

Even if guests seem like they’re truly full, your team can still offer them a slice to-go, since they’ll surely be wishing for something sweet in about an hour anyway.

Reap the rewards

After putting on their best smiles, connecting with guests, and using these upselling tricks, your servers should ring in above-average size checks — and an above-average amount of tips.

Once your servers see their huge tip out for the night, they’ll want access to those funds ASAP. At Kickfin, we provide instant digital tip payouts, so managers don’t have to waste time counting cash and servers can clock out of their shifts sooner.

Check out a demo of Kickfin today.

Product and Company News

Kickfin Ranked Fastest Growing Restaurant Tech Company | 2024 Inc. 5000

Kickfin ranked in the top 3% of Inc.’s 5000 fastest-growing companies — and we’re leading the charge for tip management software.

Every year, Inc. identifies 5,000 U.S.-based companies that have seen the highest rate of growth over the past three years based on revenue — and this year, Kickfin was at the top of the top.

A few stats we’re pretty proud of:

🏆 Kickfin ranked 189th overall.
🏆 We’re the fastest-growing restaurant tech company on the list.
🏆 We’re in the 💥 top 3%💥 of all 5000 companies.
🏆 We ranked 24th in the Software category.

Since 2020 — in spite of a pandemic, supply chain disruptions, The Great Resignation, and record-setting inflation — we’ve grown by 2,066%.

Our Keys to Success

We’ll cut right to the chase: We owe our success to our customers. (It’s not cliche if it’s true, right?)

The bottom is that we know the way you pay your staff matters, a lot. Thousands of restaurants are trusting us to handle that for them, and we don’t take that trust lightly.

And of course, we might be biased, but we think we’ve got the best team and partners in the biz. Thanks to everyone who has helped build, support and evangelize Kickfin. This has been a big year for our small but mighty company — and there’s a whole lot more to come.

This kind of growth doesn’t happen overnight. We’ve been putting in the work to make Kickfin even better for the thousands of restaurants we serve. Here are just a few ways we’ve expanded to better serve Kickfin customers.

Integrations

We’re making it easier to access and use Kickfin by integrating with dozens of leading POS systems, including Toast and SkyTab. Using our integration, managers can pull tip data directly from their POS and Kickfin will handle even the most complex tip calculations in a matter of minutes.

Thanks to our POS partnerships, we’re able to bring a further simplified version of Kickfin to new and existing customers so they can kick cash to the curb. As an early adopter of our Toast integration, Bar Louie has already saved around 15,000 hours in labor annually by cutting their tip calculation time from hours to minutes.

>> See more customer success stories

Find out if your POS integrates with Kickin, and reach out to our support team to learn how you can activate the integration.

New Features

Kickfin is no longer just an alternative to cash tip-outs — we’re a holistic solution to your entire tip management system.

In case you missed it, 2024 has been a big year for our product. In addition to our new integrations, we’ve rolled out some exciting new tip management features, including:

Splitting large party tips
Increased security
Reallocating manager tips
Preventing labor cost mistakes

>> Learn more about Kickfin’s newest features

Each of these new updates is inspired by requests from operators, managers and restaurant employees who use our product daily — and that’s something that will never change. As we continue to innovate our best-in-class tip management solution, we’ll always be listening to and learning from our customers so we can ensure every need is met and every expectation is exceeded.

What’s next for Kickfin?

We’re not stopping anytime soon. Expect to see more POS integrations, more user-friendly features, and more guidance from our amazing customer support team.

Not a Kickfin user yet? Now’s the time to rise with us! Get a demo of our restaurant-revolutionizing product today.

We’ll see you next year on the Inc. 5000!