Via a winterization grant program from food delivery platform DoorDash, 60 Philadelphia restaurants have secured a total of $300,000 to go toward retrofitting outdoor dining setups for the colder months.
Each restaurant is receiving a $5,000 grant to help offset associated expenses, which include buying heating gear and personal protective equipment for employees. The grant program was administered by Hello Alice, an independent platform that provides resources to help business owners grow their companies.
The capital allocated to Philadelphia eateries stems from DoorDash’s "Main Street Strong" initiative. This cold weather grants program specifically started out in October as a $2 million effort to help sustain restaurants across the country throughout the winter. This month DoorDash quintupled that commitment, saying it will ultimately provide $10 million in winterization grants to small restaurants and bars as the initiative expands to new markets, including several locations in Canada.
DoorDash’s outdoor dining winterization grants are being allocated at a time when Philadelphia officials have banned indoor dining until Jan. 1.
