Los Panchos Mexican Restaurant is one of 15 Fresno County eateries to be awarded a pandemic relief grant. Photo contributed by the California Restaurant Foundation

Fifteen Fresno County restaurants are among 318 across the state to receive grants from the California Restaurant Foundation’s Restaurant Care Resilience Fund.

The California Restaurant Foundation (CRF) launched the fund in March in partnership with SoCalGas, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and San Diego Gas and Electric, who collectively donated $1.25 million to fund grants up to $3,500 for small restaurants, with a portion of the donations going to CRF’s hardship fund for food and beverage workers facing an unforeseen crisis.

Wells Fargo also made a $250,000 donation to fund year-long business support services for the 318 recipients.

Nearly 1,000 qualified restaurants applied for the grants.

Alycia Harshfield, executive director of California Restaurant Foundation, said: “We are inspired by the determination and grit of the restaurants selected for the Resilience Fund grants. Many are multigeneration, family-owned businesses with amazing stories and connections to their neighborhoods. The addition of the small business support services powered by Wells Fargo complements the financial grants provided by the utility companies and both are critical for long-term resilience as we come out of this pandemic.”

The Fresno County restaurants receiving awards include:

Tabachines Cocina, Fresno  

Casa de Tamales, Fresno

Irene’s Cafe, Inc., Fresno

Mariscos El Patron Mexican Restaurant, Fresno

BLD Fresh, Kingsburg

Sabor Cocina Latina & Bar, Fresno

Los Panchos Mexican Restaurant, Fresno

Ocampos Mexican Restaurant, Fresno

Valparaiso Coffee Roasters,  Fresno           

Pho 76 Restaurant, Fresno

Bulldoc Korean Fusion, Fresno

RusHour, Clovis

Indian Kebab Palace, Fresno

Tower Blendz, Fresno

Firebaugh Pizza, Firebaugh

Of the 318 grant recipients, 65% are female restaurant owners and 83% identify as people of color. More than 130 grants were given in Los Angeles County, 77 in San Diego County, 62 in San Francisco and Alameda Counties, 29 in Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties and 18 in Fresno and Kern Counties.

To qualify, the restaurants had to be single-unit, employ fewer than 50 staff members, be currently open and have experienced a revenue loss of at least 20% from 2019-2020. To see the full list of grant recipients in your area, please visit www.restaurantscare.org/resilience.