Server Eden Contraras brings main courses the evening of Aug. 9, 2023, to a table in the streatery area at Brasserie Four on Main Street in Walla Walla.

WALLA WALLA — As the vision of vacant and closed buildings recedes with the wane of COVID-19, the state of Washington has allocated millions in grant funding to provide businesses an extra push toward distancing themselves from the turmoil brought by the pandemic.

For Jamie Guerin, owner and operator of local Walla Walla restaurant Brasserie Four, the funding he received from the state could not have come at a better time. At the height of the pandemic, restaurants were required to close. Once they were able to reopen, it was at a much more limited capacity.

“(The pandemic) drastically impacted our revenue,” Guerin said. “It’s kind of common knowledge what happened to restaurants during the pandemic. We took a pretty big hit financially.”

Hospitality sector businesses in Washington state, which continue to grapple with the pandemic recovery, have received a total of $79 million in relief from the Washington State Department of Commerce. This funding has been extended to almost 1,500 businesses throughout the state, including Brasserie Four, to help them address their losses stemming from the pandemic.

Brasserie Four is among 13 regional businesses that received a grant. Qualifying businesses, including restaurants, hotels and motels in the state were able to apply for the one-time grant earlier this year in March.

Anthony Anton, president and CEO of Washington Hospitality Association, said the financial damage the hospitality industry endured throughout the pandemic is no secret with motels, hotels and restaurants taking the majority of the hit.

“There were thousands of closures,” Anton said. “We still had people with huge debts left over from those challenges.”

The Washington Hospitality Association is the state’s leading hospitality trade group representing more than 6,000 members of the hotel, restaurant and hospitality industry.

Anton said one resource that was available to eligible restaurants, bars and other qualifying businesses was the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, but he said the fund helped only a small portion of Washington operators who needed the help.

“The fund was positive but still a majority of people who needed the resource couldn’t get it,” he said. “So many businesses have debt due to closures during the pandemic.”

Anton said the average debt in a full-service restaurant in Washington from COVID-19 closures is about $160,000. The average restaurant during this period made about $40,000 a year.

“Restaurants incurred four times as much debt as their annual profit,” he said. “To put it bluntly, they were facing four years of no income because of the debt from COVID.”

The Washington Hospitality Association worked with the Legislature to secure funding for businesses who did not get any of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, specifically motel and hotel owners who were greatly impacted by Gov. Jay Inslee’s eviction moratorium for lodging operators.

“These funds are really going to help people cover some of their debts,” Anton said. “This doesn’t solve the debt issue, but it helps people survive.”

Brasserie Four

Guerin said the pandemic brought a serious reduction in revenue along with whiplash as the state changed the policies on masking, essential businesses and social distancing.

“At times it was outside dining only, then tables had to be moved a certain distance apart,” he said. “Then there were fewer tables and then we started only doing carry out.”

Recently, Brasserie Four has been doing well, certainly better than in 2019-21. The restaurant also received a state hospitality grant totaling $132,079.27.

“Business is good,” Guerin said. “People are going out to eat again, but it is taking time to recover.”

The Paycheck Protection Program — or PPP — authorized up to $669 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees during the coronavirus crisis. Economic Injury Disaster Loans also helped small businesses overcome the temporary loss of revenue they experienced as a result of the pandemic.

Guerin said federal and state opportunities through these programs as well as the grant money is what kept his business afloat.

“I was thrilled when I saw that we had received a hospitality grant,” he said. “The money is being used to push us further away from the edge, and it will help with the general overhead costs of the restaurant.”

Guerin said beyond the state grant funding, it was the community and customers who have kept local businesses such as Brasserie Four alive throughout the pandemic.

”Thanks to the people who were willing to come down to pick up a carry out meal or sit outside when it was 25 degrees out, we are still here,” Guerin said. “The outpouring of support that we have received since we have reopened has been amazing. Thank you, Walla Walla.”

Here is a list of the area hospitality businesses that received state grants:

• The Barn B&B Walla Walla received $1,187.72.
• Wine Valley Lodging, Comfort Inn & Suites Walla Walla received $60,264.07.
• Coville Street Patisserie received $8,569.30; Dora’s Deli received $12,502.46.
• A Wing & A Prayer Barbecue + Catering received $5,818.35.
• The Green Lantern Tavern received $125,839.04.
• Walla Walla Hospitality Courtyard by Marriott received $171,422.76.
• Maple Counter Cafe received $19,823.82.
• Walla Walla Bread Company received $43,111.90.
• Passatempo Taverna received $47,624.44.
• Brasserie Four received $132,079.27.
• Walla Walla Steak Co. received $ $162,400.51.
• Whiskey Canyon Sports Bar & Grill in Waitsburg received $17,594.88.
• BK Lodging Best Western Plus Dayton Hotel & Suites received $38,271.30.