The RERF(Restaurant Employee Relief Fund) website located at rerf.us is not a scam. It the legit website where American restaurant employees should go to collect your relief grant. A lot of people are claiming the website is a scam because it loads sometimes and they get kicked out when they have reached a certain point. But, these problems are due to the millions of American restaurant employees trying to register at the same time to receive the $500 relief fund or grant, which started today (April 2, 2020).
Due to the millions of people trying to reach the website at the same time, the servers hosting the website cannot handle the load, and this is why some visitors are getting errors like "server cannot be reach," "Server is too busy," "The service is unavailable," or is loading slowly or it just does not load. But, keep trying, it is a technical problem or issue they are working on and it will be fixed soon. Also, there are people who are trying to donate.
About RERF(Restaurant Employee Relief Fund)
The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (“Fund”) was created to help restaurant industry employees experiencing extraordinary hardship in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Through this Fund, a $500 grant will be made to restaurant industry employees who have been impacted by COVID-19, including a decrease in wages or loss of employment.
The $500 grant should be used towards housing, transportation, utilities, child care, groceries, medical bills and/or student loans. Applicants must have worked in the industry for 90 days or more during the last year, be able to demonstrate that the industry was their primary income source, and have lost pay or their job on March 10 or later.
Who should apply for aid?
In order to receive a one-time grant from the Fund, you must meet all of the following requirements:
- You have worked on a part- or full-time basis in the restaurant industry for at least 90 days in the past year; and
- Have had a primary source of income in the restaurant industry for the last year; and
- Have experienced a decrease in needed wages or loss of job on or after March 10, 2020 which these grant funds will help offset; and
- Live in the United States, an overseas U.S. military base, or any U.S. territory*; and
- Are over the age of legal majority in their in their U.S. state or territory
Individuals related to employees or board members of the National Restaurant Association or National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation ARE NOT eligible for grants.
* Depending upon the terms of certain contributions to the Fund, certain amounts may only be available for distribution in limited geographic areas.
When should I expect to receive a payment?
If awarded, a check will be disbursed to the applicant within 2-3 weeks of receiving notification of award, pending availability of funding. Because this program is funded through donations, there may be times when applicants will be put on a waitlist for available funding and we will send the grant payment as soon as we receive more funding.
How will funds be sent?
Fund checks will be mailed to the address provided in your application and made out directly to the applicant. If it has been more than 3 weeks since you were notified you would be receiving a grant award, and need an update on the status of your check, please contact us at rerf@nraef.org.
When will I know if I am awarded a payment?
You should receive notification within 2-4 weeks.