The Request
It is right, and just that the U.S. Small Business Administration and Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman make contact with any of the approved 2,965 business owners who had funding rescinded on June 12, 2021, and arrange to expedite at least 50% of the amount previously awarded.

It’s understood that some of the 2,965 may have since received funds, or that some of the applicants should not have been approved due to the fraud that the U.S. Government discovered.

April 28, 2021 - U.S. SBA Statement by Isabella Guzman
SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman today announced the U.S. Small Business Administration will begin registrations on Friday, April 30, 2021, at 9 a.m. EDT and open applications on Monday, May 3, 2021, at noon EDT for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. The online application will remain open to any eligible establishment until all funds are exhausted. Full Description Here

May 28, 2021 - U.S. SBA Approval
I received the email shown in the image below, which stated I was approved for the SBA RRF grant and the funds would be in my bank account in 3-7 business days.

June 12, 2021 - U.S. SBA Rescinds Funds From 2,965 Business Owners
An email was sent to 2,965 business owners (including me) stating the U.S. SBA is not able to pay previously approved priority applicants. Image of the email is below. An article from the Nation's Restaurant News provides part of the story.

October 27, 2021 - A Very Interesting Email From the SBA

On October 26, 2022 I wrote to David Tokarz with the U.S. SBA Office Of Advocacy (link about him here on the SBA Office Of Advocacy website) to inquire what the scope of his work is, and if he could provide me with information on the SBA RRF. His email response will be pictured below ASAP (change.org is having tech issues) along with shocking information from someone named Jason Frulla that stated “the RRF had run out of funds on May 3, 2021.”

I responded that day and cc’d 19 other SBA members, many of which held the highest positions within the SBA and asked how the entire RRF had run out in less than 2 days. Massive pieces of information is missing if $28.6 billion dollars was given out in less than two days, which was also pointed out in my email. I received no response…

The Fallout
It's unclear how many of the 2,965 business owners experienced economic disaster and distress. I personally lost everything. The business ceased all operations, I had to lay off all the employees, and I subsequently lost all my personal belongings, and my apartment.

During the time span from May 28th to June 12th, I used the little personal funds I had, including personal credit cards to support my business while waiting for the grant funds. Given this grant program was signed into law by the U.S. President under the American Rescue Plan, it seemed like a guarantee. I wasn't the only one to make financial decisions after being approved. This New York Times article describes others who suffered financial loss.

July 5, 2023 - SBA’s Administrative Process to Address Potentially Fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund Awards
Just over two years later, the story continues. New information is shared from the SBA Office Of Inspector General. However, we are still 2,965 approved applicants with no information and no representation.

Our hope is that the U.S. SBA Office of Inspector General and the U.S. SBA, Administrator Isabella Guzman will take action and make direct contact with any of the 2,965 who've been left with no funds, and then work toward swiftly getting at least 50% or more of what we were approved for.

If any readers are curious about the company, the website is here: https://miseenplacesf.com. Currently I'm working alone to rebuild and focused on Los Angeles, which is where I moved in June 2020. San Francisco had been home base for a number of years before and the former employees made sure things wen't well while I transitioned to Los Angeles. There's some great photos of them and our past events on our Instagram page here: @miseenplacesf.

If you've taken the time to read this and were one of the 2,965 business owners who had their funds rescinded, please include a few words about how you were impacted if you decide to sign the petition, and share with your network.

Thank you for reading, and for your support,

Daniel Petrie