SPOKANE, Wash. — After receiving a loan from the federal Payment Protection Program, a Spokane restaurant has re-opened.
The Cosmic Cowboy Grill re-hired many of its employees who were previously furloughed.
The grill opened its second location in Spokane on Valentine’s Day.
When Governor Inslee’s Stay-Home, Stay-Healthy order came three weeks later, it had to close.
“The worst part of that was the effect it had on our crew members,” said Steve Eller, the restaurant’s owner.
He said he had to furlough all 26 of the restaurant’s employees in Spokane and 21 employees at its Coeur d’Alene location.
The Spokane location closed, but Coeur d’Alene was still open for takeout and deliveries.
Eller applied for the Paycheck Protection Program in early April and received a loan on Friday.
The Spokane location received $77,000 and the Coeur d’Alene location received $110,000.
“But I don’t think our experience has been what a lot of other business owners have experienced,” he said.
The Small Business Association announced Thursday morning all the funding for the PPP loan was depleted, leaving many small businesses around the country without any funding.
A notice on the association’s website said it processed more than 14 years of loans in 14 days.
Eller said his business is using 75 percent of the PPP funding for payroll expenses, re-hiring 15 employees in Spokane and all 26 in Coeur d’Alene.
“We’re just so grateful we were able to get our employees back,” Eller said.
The restaurant’s locations are open for takeout and delivery orders.