The restaurant industry is seeking help from the state as it continues to recover from the impact of the pandemic, supply chain issues, labor shortages, and inflation.
"I can tell you firsthand that our industry has not recovered," Myra Ghattas, owner of Slate Street Cafe and Sixty-Six Acres in Albuquerque, told KRQE. "We've stabilized and we're open and we're able to get revenue in; but other than that, it’s still extremely challenging."
Ghattas' businesses were among the 600 that received money from the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund, according to KRQE. The funds were a lifesaver during the pandemic, she said.
"It helped me," Ghattas said. "I can attribute a lot of what we're doing today to having that resource and those funds to keep going and keep my restaurants afloat."
The New Mexico Restaurant Association (NMRA) wants lawmakers to create a state version of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, KRQE reported. Members of that organization and the New Mexico Hospitality Association recently testified in front of the Economic Development and Policy Committee.
"I would've thought two years out from the pandemic, we would've been in a position where we were back again, and we just haven't gotten to that yet," Carol Wight, CEO of NMRA, said.
Approximately 900 restaurants in the state applied but did not receive federal funds, according to KRQE. State officials promoted the idea that restaurants that received federal funding should be last to receive state funding.
Ghattas said funding is vital for the future of the restaurant industry.
"I still support it 100%," she said. "We are surviving. We are not thriving, and we want to be thriving."
The NMRA is working with Sen. Michael Padilla (D-Bernalillo) and Rep. Tara Lujan (D-Santa Fe), KRQE reported. They are attempting to draft legislation to create a state revitalization fund and finance other projects.
Wight said lawmakers should decide how much money the fund will contain and the criteria that would make a business eligible, according to KRQE. She said the federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund subtracted a business' 2020 revenue from its 2019 revenue; this essentially gave restaurants the money that they did not make in 2020.