Thursday, November 26, 2020

Six things shut downed Illinois restaurants should be doing now.

 

Back in August 2020 I wrote in our monthly client newsletter “I have been doing a lot of thinking about this whole Covid 19 thing. If you are still in business congratulations.  If you are a still open restaurant business owner, you are an extraordinary business person. 

Yelp is reporting that at least 4,400 Chicago businesses have closed permanently.  As we enter the fourth month of this thing (I really don’t know how to define it) I have nothing but respect and admiration for you, my valued client. ‘

So here we go again.  Another shutdown aimed at the hospitality industry. Another challenge, with virtually no financial aid available. I have been thinking again.  What advice can we give you?  What are the things you should be doing right now?

Remember if it is going to be it is up to me.  You must be your own advocate. The survival of your business depends solely on the actions you take now. Pick up the phone and call your local mayor, county board member, state legislator, state senator, governor (no comment), congressman, and senator.  Tell these elected officials how the current shutdown is affecting both your business and employees lives.  Ask for their assistance.                                                                        

Apply for unemployment benefits.  By now you know the drill.  If you have an account you will have to apply online.  Remember you must have paid yourself a salary to receive benefits.  And yes IDES is still a mess. We continue to offer limited assistance for clients.  Please call with any questions. 

Update your must needed web site, google my business, yahoo and yelp review sites.  Here are the links:

Get your free personalized report to see how your business appears online. More importantly Yahoo complies a Covid 19 Small Business Resource Listing that is the most comprehensive I have found on the web. This up to date list of the most useful COVID-19 resources from government, non-profit and private companies is updated daily to support small businesses during this time of crisis.

https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/resource-center/covid-19-small-business-resource-center/                                                    

And finally:


All of the above web sites are free

Start an eat local campaign. Prominently display outside of your restaurant a banner telling your customers you are still open and asking for their support.  Carryout here and keep local jobs. Here is a link to https://www.bannersonthecheap.com

Call you suppliers and landlords again.  Be upfront about the situation and your intentions on paying past due bills. Do not hesitate to call your vendors.  They want to hear from you. 

And finally consider a Business Interruption Grant. You must have been in business prior to the original March 2020 Covid shutdown.  You will need bank statements from July and August of 2019 and July and August of 2020.  You will need a copy of your business tax return.  These items along with a copy of the owner’s drivers license and a signed W 9 and we can make an application for your business.  Please note that if you did receive other Cares Act funding such as a PPP loan or an Economic Injury Disaster loan or grant, your application will be considered after others who have not received any assistance to date.

The first person you should call is your tax guy!  No other person on your team has the experience, resources and contacts with other small business owners, such as yourself, to help you find the answer to that most perplexing, impossible to solve problem.

No matter the problem, we continue to offer you unlimited free telephone assistance, no matter what your client service level is, 52 weeks a year.  No calling customer service call centers.  No extra charge meters. No need to worry.  A trained experienced professional is ready, willing, and able to offer assistance and answer your questions. We demonstrate and deliver value to our clients every day.



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