Little Neck Restaurant Wins Grant For Outdoor Dining Setup

LITTLE NECK, QUEENS — A Little Neck restaurant was among 100 New York City eateries awarded grants to help them "winterize" their outdoor-dining setups.

Little Saigon Cuisine, at 253-09 Northern Blvd., will receive a $5,000 DoorDash grant to help pay for items such as heating equipment and personal protective gear that will help it prepare to serve diners during colder weather.

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.

“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.”