NATIONWIDE — Restaurants across the country are reopening dining rooms and welcoming back guests once again as more Americans get their COVID-19 vaccine. But many who survived the pandemic say they will not last much longer unless Congress steps in to help by replenishing the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

The fund was designed to be a lifeline for a lot of bar and restaurant owners, offering billions in aid. But just days after the plan was established, it ran out of cash. Now, the Independent Restaurant Coalition is calling on Congress to replenish the program to keep these small businesses going.

The fund initially provided $28 billion in funding for more than 72,000 bar and restaurant owners, designed to prioritize applications from small women-, veteran- and minority-owned businesses first. 

But some big-name hotel chains including Hilton and Wyndam pocketed millions of dollars in program funding while the small, independent businesses the program was intended for never saw any cash at all.

Amanda Cohen, chef of New York City’s Dirt Candy, said her own application was held up by an issue on the Small Business Administration’s end, not hers, leaving her without any aid. Cohen said she is hoping a second round of funding could help her survive.

“My reserves have been decimated. The restaurant relief fund was the lifeline I needed to keep my doors open," Cohen said. "While our dining rooms are starting to fill up again, it will not make us full. We’re still dealing with our 2020 losses. Without the grant, the future of Dirt Candy is just not guaranteed."

Members of the Independent Restaurant Coalition will gather on Monday to call on Congress to pass a $60-billion replenishment to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. 

While another round of funding is getting support from some lawmakers, fiscal conservatives are fighting the measure, saying the price tag is just too high.