Why not?
Because it was swallowed up by big businesses. They said it was for companies with employees up to 500. However, if you got 500 employees, you are not a small business imo.
Even the few that did get something, it isn't enough to make a dent. The amount you receive is automatically determined to be 2.5 the monthly amount of your employee salaries. For the food service industry, that amount is going to be low, because the salaries are low. About $5 due to the tip based nature. However, they do NOT factor in tip amounts. It is strictly by what you show them on your PayChex or other third party pay roll system that you are paying.
A small company like a gelato shop or neighborhood pizza place is going to get raped. Example : because their payroll is basically about $1000 a month for the few employees they have. The 2.5 formula is going to determine the amount to be $10,000 that they qualify for (they only account for 10 weeks). So that business will get 10K, and you are required to spend 75% of that directly paying employees. That only leaves $2500 for them to pay for their rent, utilities, insurance, inventory that had to be replaced, etc.. during the shut down. The tiny little store shops in this area goes for about $8000 per month for something about the size of a closet.
The kicker is that you only qualify if it is YOU paying your employees. They can't be on unemployment. If they are, they have to come off. Now tell me this.... what kind of food service employee sitting at home with (FL amount) $275 per week PLUS an additional $600 per week for a total of $875 per week is going to get off that, just to receive the $150 a week that their employer paycheck is worth? Remember, tips don't count. Just what is averaged from on your check stub from the last three months.
$875 > $150. Which one do you think people will pick?
The PPP program is beneficial if you have employees making $1000 a week or more. That way you can pay them what their current rate of salary is, without them having to go on unemployment and end up suffering with the lower $275 a week.
The only way small businesses are going to be able to survive in most cases is if they get a SBA approved loan and then pray that loan forgiveness becomes available on down the road. But as it stands now, they are not going to survive on the way the PPP is set up now.