Five restaurants from the Richmond area will receive grants of up to $25,000 from Heinz, The LEE Initiative, and Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice .
All-natural restaurant Elegant Cuizines , bakery The Sweetest Thing , ice cream shop Ruby Scoops , Buna Kurs Ethiopian Cafe , and Charlotte’s Southern Deli were among 62 businesses to receive grants nationwide.
The grants aim to help Black restaurateurs overcome financial hurdles. A Goldman-Sachs report from earlier this year found that 37% of Black small business owners faced issues accessing new capital and financing — a figure 14% higher than their peers.