Keeping Local Restaurants Cooking Through Restaurants Care Grants

For the sixth straight year, The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) will fund grants to support independent restaurant owners and their staffs through the California Restaurant Foundation’s (CRF) Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. The grants will support a record number of restaurants in Northern and Central California this year with additional grants in San Francisco.

The announcement comes during celebrations for National Small Business Week, May 3-9.

Resilience Fund applications will be accepted at restaurantscare.org/resilience June 1 through June 30, 2026.

“What makes San Francisco a true food city is the strength of its neighborhoods — each with its own unique identity, shaped by generations of cooks, cultures and small businesses that give the city its character and flavor. We’re proud to support the people behind the food and restaurants that are so central to how locals and visitors alike experience the city, through our ongoing partnership with the California Restaurant Foundation,” said PG&E Bay Area Vice President Jake Zigelman.

In San Francisco, $547,000 has been distributed to 135 restaurants over the past five years through the Restaurant Resilience Fund. This year, 55 grants — up from 30 last year — will be awarded to San Francisco restaurants and caterers as part of PG&E’s ongoing support for the city, its residents and small businesses.

Grants can be used for vital business needs, including technology and equipment upgrades. They can also help with employee training and retention, and unforeseen hardships.

Town’s End Brunch in downtown San Francisco, was one of nearly 80 Bay Area grant recipients last year. The family-owned business used the grant to replace an old refrigerator that leaked, consumed a lot of energy and required costly maintenance.

Owner Sam Elbandak said that with a new refrigerator he can concentrate on what’s most important to him — his employees and his customers: “We take care of them and they take care us…we are like family.”

Since 2021, PG&E and the PG&E Foundation have contributed nearly $5.6 million to the CRF’s Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. This has provided grants ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 to local restaurants within PG&E’s service area. With this year’s contribution, the total number of restaurant grants awarded in PG&E’s service area will exceed 1,000.

The PG&E Foundation’s funding for this charitable donation comes from PG&E shareholders, not customers.

See a video about past grant recipient Torches restaurant in Petaluma.

Grant Eligibility

California-based restaurant owners and commercial caterers in PG&E’s service area can apply.

Applicants can have up to five locations (although only one location can apply). Annual revenue cannot exceed $3 million for the location. The restaurant must be in operation for one full year to qualify, and previous grant recipients are eligible to apply for a different location or concept. Existing food businesses that are expanding into a brick-and-mortar location are also eligible to apply.

CRF began the Resilience Fund in 2021 to support restaurants recovering from economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. PG&E and The PG&E Corporation Foundation have supported the program since its inception. The company has maintained its support as restaurants continue weathering economic challenges.

For more information on the California Restaurant Foundation, Restaurants Care, or the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund, visit restaurantscare.org.

Assisting Restaurants and Small and Medium Businesses

• On-Bill Financing. PG&E offers 0% interest loans for replacing old and worn-out equipment with more energy-efficient models. Watch this video to explore how energy savings are reinvested back into your business to help improve your bottom line.
• Rebates for food service equipment. PG&E offers several rebate programs that will help you save money and improve productivity when you upgrade your food service equipment.
• Food Service Technology Center. Access key training programs, design consultants and test kitchen plans to improve your operations and energy efficiency.
• Budget Billing. If you are a small business owner, you can have a predictable bill each month by enrolling in Budget Billing. The program averages out your monthly bill to determine monthly payment, instead of having unpredictable summer bills.
• Energy Efficiency Programs. PG&E contracts with external companies to provide a customized solution for different business sectors.
• Find Your Best Rate Plan. Customers can use this online tool to run a rate analysis to see if they are on the best rate plan for their operations. The tool is projected to save customers over $5 million this year.
• Local Energy Advisor. Reach out to your local small business energy advisor to discuss cost savings solutions.
  
  

For more information on PG&E Small and Medium Business customer support, visit pge.com/smbsupport.