7 Harlem Restaurants Win Grants For Outdoor Dining Setups

HARLEM, NY — Seven Harlem restaurants were among the 100 New York City eateries awarded grants this week to help them "winterize" their outdoor dining setups.

DoorDash's "winterization" grants are meant to help restaurants bring in business during the winter months while adhering to pandemic restrictions, according to a news release.

The food delivery service partnered with the NYC Hospitality Alliance to offer New York City eateries a total of $500,000 in grant money.

The seven Harlem restaurants that received the grants are:

• BLVD Bistro, 2149 Frederick Douglass Blvd.
• Harlem Hookah, 381 Malcolm X Blvd.
• La Chula, 137 East 116th St.
• The Row Harlem, 2374 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
• Safari Restaurant, 219 West 116th St.
• Settepani, 196 Malcolm X Blvd.
• Vinateria, 2211 Frederick Douglass Blvd.

"We thank DoorDash for their partnership in supporting restaurants and working to ensure that our industry can keep moving forward through this pandemic during the cooler months," Andrew Rigie, executive director of NYC Hospitality Alliance, said in a statement when the program was announced.

"The Open Restaurants program has been a critical lifeline to thousands of small businesses, and giving grants to restaurants to help them weatherize their outdoor dining setups and operate safely indoors will help many restaurants continue to serve their communities during the fall and winter."

Maya Kaufman contributed reporting.