How grants gave a ‘direct lifeline’ to Centre County hospitality businesses, and what they need now
Eighty-six Centre County businesses received $1.8 million in grants from the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, and officials gathered at one of them Wednesday to hear about the impact and what’s needed next.
Steve D’Ettorre, deputy secretary of technology and innovation for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, joined Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins and SEDA-COG representatives at RE Farm Cafe to share the success of the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program.
D’Ettorre said restaurants are gathering places for friends and families, and often areas of celebration. When COVID-19 shuttered the world, he said, the restaurant and hospitality industry was devastated.
“Unfortunately, the past year has not offered up that restaurant experience that we are so usually accustomed to. And while that hurt us as patrons, it hurt our restaurants ... even more. Their businesses aren’t just their livelihood. They’re the lifeblood of the community, sometimes even the backbone of the family,” D’Ettorre said.
While support from local patrons helped the industry, major assistance was needed to get the hospitality sector back on its feet, he said, which is why CHIRP was developed. The funding was secured by Governor Tom Wolf late last year and was “quickly directed into the hands of those who needed it the most,” he said.
One of those places was RE Farm Cafe. The local, farm-to-table eatery received $30,000, said Kim Wheeler, executive director of SEDA-COG, which administered CHIRP for Centre County.
Centre County was one of the first counties to distribute all of its CHIRP funds, Wheeler said, because there were so many businesses in need that were able to be assisted through the program.
“The grants really were a direct lifeline to struggling hospitality businesses in Centre County,” Wheeler said.
SEDA-COG staff worked “around the clock” to review applications from the 110 businesses that applied to the program in less than three months, she said. Of those, 86 received some funding, with the average award around $21,000. Those businesses experienced 25% or more revenue loss between 2019 and 2020, she said.
Centre County Commissioner Mark Higgins said over the past seven months, the commissioners have awarded $7.3 million in grants to small businesses; roughly $3.5 million of that went to the hospitality and tourism industry. Small-interest loans were also awarded through SEDA-COG.
But he stressed that the investments will not matter if people don’t eat local or support local businesses. He encouraged residents to do so and to support places like RE Farm Cafe.
“Not only are farm-to-table restaurants in Centre County a way to the future ... they save local farms and create local jobs. When you eat at most chain restaurants, let’s face it, that food is pre-processed and pre-prepared from farms that are hundreds or even thousands of miles away from where you’re sitting. Farm-to-table restaurants use locally grown, locally processed and locally prepared foods,” Higgins said.
Duke Gastiger, who owns RE Farm Cafe with his wife, Monica, said the “RE” in the name stands for regenerating, resources, re-purposing and respect. But he added “reinventing” after the pandemic, as the industry had to reinvent itself almost every day.
“What allowed us to do that is the support that we got, from DCED, from SEDA-COG, from the commissioners, from the taxpayers of this great country who saw the need for support, especially in our industry. We touch so many hearts, we’re one of the oldest industries in this country ... it’s the one that really concentrates on community and neighbors,” Gastiger said.
Restaurants are a place of celebration and comfort. Community is the “heart and soul” of the industry, he said. Having local officials, like the commissioners, who understand the goals and needs of the industry helps a lot, he said.
