The Small Business Administration announced last week that 169 operators will receive $83 million in unused Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants, nearly a year and a half after the program closed.

In July, the U.S. Government Accountability Office indicated in a report that $180 million was left over, but that estimate was inaccurate, said the National Restaurant Association. The grants are being released in the order that applications were received. Operators have been notified, and grants will be sent through this week. Recipients have until March to spend the money.

"This week, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) began distribution of returned funding in the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) program, following the program’s closure in June 2021," the agency said in a statement. "In doing so, the SBA worked with the advice of the Department of Justice on a plan to distribute the remaining funds, approximately $83 million. The SBA has contacted the recipients of the awards. In addition to other SBA assistance programs, the RRF has helped more than 100,000 restaurants and other food and beverage business owners survive the pandemic. The SBA and the Biden-Harris Administration are committed to help struggling restaurants get back to business with currently available products and resources."