By Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host Published Jan 28, 2021 at 10:01 AM

Up to 30 Milwaukee restaurants could land grant funding to offset costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delivery platform DoorDash has announced that it will be disseminating $150,000 in COVID-19 relief grants as part of their Main Street Strong initiative, an effort  which aims to offer support to restaurants as they grapple with pandemic-related challenges. Grants are available in multiple cities, with 30 grants allocated for Milwaukee.

Grants are $5,000 each and can be used “to cover operating costs during this challenging time, including rent, payroll, purchasing PPE, expanding outdoor dining capacity, and other expenses. All restaurants meeting the eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply. Restaurants do not need to be on the DoorDash platform to be eligible.”

Applications for grants must be filed online on or before Feb. 7. Eligible restaurants include concepts with three stores or less, $3M or less annual revenue per store in 2019 and 50 employees or less per store.

Grant recipients will be selected based on criteria outlined in the application (including the above) and announced during the week of March 1 and paid out on a rolling basis, with all recipients awarded by May 10. The likelihood of receiving a grant is based on the number of applications received.

Lori Fredrich Senior Food Writer, Dining Editor, Podcast Host

Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with each and every dish. She’s had the privilege of chronicling these tales via numerous media, including OnMilwaukee and in her book “Milwaukee Food.” Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. 

When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or recording the FoodCrush podcast, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.