MANCHESTER, NH — New Hampshire breweries Great North Aleworks, Woodstock Inn Brewery, Moat Mountain Brewing Company, Smuttynose Brewing Company and Great Rhythm Brewing Company have collaborated on a new beer in order to support the New Hampshire Hospitality Employee Relief Fund (NHHERF).
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One-hundred percent of the proceeds from this beer will be donated to the NHHERF so they can continue supporting employees of the hospitality industry who have been impacted by COVID-19. The collaboration is a Pale Ale named Gratuity featuring Galaxy, Amarillo and Lemon Drop hops.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — On Thursday, the governor’s reopening task force focused on how to reopen the hard-hit hospitality industry and considered a four-phase approach for lodging and restaurants.

New Hampshire’s hospitality industry has lost $800 million during the COVID-19 pandemic so far. The head of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurants Association, Mike Somers, said roughly half of the industry’s 70,000 employees have been laid off or furloughed. 
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Over the next week, the task force will meet every weekday at 3 p.m. to discuss reopening various industries. The public is invited to listen. Two meetings will be held for public comment on April 30 from 1-3 p.m. and May 1 from 9-11 a.m.

Somers sits on the governor’s reopening task force and presented a plan to reopen the hospitality industry. The four-phase approach would begin with outdoor dining and tables at least six feet apart.

By: Bob Sanders, NH Business Review 

Representatives of New Hampshire’s hospitality industry told state officials Wednesday it might need $1 billion to survive the coronavirus crisis.
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New Hampshire has received $1.25 billion from the federal government to address the economic and health needs of the state. Last week that seemed like a lot of money. Now it looks as if the full pot of funding could be stretched very thin, especially since healthcare providers on Monday testified that it alone was hemorrhaging $200 million a month.

The legislature’s advisory committee to the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery also heard Wednesday from representatives of other economic sectors – retailers, auto dealers, contractors and manufacturers. But none seemed in as bad shape as the hospitality industry, and none put a price tag on its needs.

The coronavirus pandemic has been “catastrophic,” said Mike Somers, president of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association, who estimated a loss of 40,000 to 60,000 jobs. Somers himself didn’t make the ask. He left that to two representatives of his trade association, Tom Boucher, owner and CEO of Great NH Restaurants and Steve Duprey, president of Foxfire Property Management and The Duprey Companies, a developer and operator of hotels, to fill in the numbers and make the ask.

By Jonathan Phelps, New Hampshire Union Leader

Out of work restaurant employees have a chance to apply for $1,000 grants through the newly formed Restaurant Strong Fund.
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Samuel Adams (The Boston Beer Co.) and The Greg Hill Foundation teamed up to create the fund in 20 states, including New Hampshire. Samuel Adams donated $2 million to kickstart fundraising efforts in each state, according to its website.

Greg Hill, a host on WEEI Sports Radio Network, said on his program last week that he hopes donors will match the $2 million in order to give out at least $4 million in grants.

Last week, the fund expanded its reach to 19 more states after it launched on March 18 in Boston. It raised nearly $500,000 from 2,000 donors in its first week.

So far, $110,871 has been allocated to workers in New Hampshire. Applications have been received from 339 workers.

More than 38,632 application have been received nationwide.

The New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association is also asking for donations to the New Hampshire Hospitality Employee Relief Fund. The fund aims to give $250 to as many applicants as possible. So far, $118,275 has been raised.

The funds come as restaurants across the country have closed dine-in options and are only offering take-out or delivery to slow the spread of COVID-19.