Dine Local, Lift LA: As County Strengthens Neighborhood Restaurants, Residents Can Support Independent Businesses

LOS ANGELES –– This National Nutrition Month, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity  or DEO and  partners are launching Dine Local, a campaign and resource program designed to help more than 26,000 food businesses increase revenue, modernize operations and strengthen long-term sustainability across the region.

Dine Local is part of Shop Local LA County, a broader county campaign helping strengthen the local economy by driving consumers to spend with local small businesses. Dine Local specifically focuses on supporting food businesses, which play a vital role in expanding food access and strengthening Los Angeles County’s economy, workforce, cultural identity, and tourism appeal. Despite sustained growth in the sector, these businesses have faced mounting challenges in recent years, including rising food and labor costs, ongoing supply chain disruptions, and unexpected economic shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, and immigration enforcement actions. Coupled with persistently high commercial rents and cost of living, these pressures have led to business closures and have made it increasingly difficult for small and independent food establishments to remain viable.

To provide relief, Dine Local promotes independently owned restaurants and provides support to businesses through a single application, from which eligible food businesses may receive one or all of the following resources:

Compostable foodware supply that meets county requirements under the Single-Use Plastics Ordinance—applications accepted until April 14, or while supplies last;

A Square Card Reader device to enable contactless and chip-enabled payments, including Apple Pay and Google Pay;

Personal protective equipment or PPE to help maintain health and safety standards, including masks and gloves;

Connection to employee hiring, training, and employer incentive through DEO’s America’s Job Centers of California or AJCCs; and

Application support for participating in the CalFresh Restaurant Meals Program or RMP, which expands participating businesses’ customer bases and revenues by accepting Electronic Benefits Transfer or EBT cards while increasing food access for vulnerable members of the community.

To qualify, businesses must be consumer-facing food businesses operating in LA County. They must also be independently owned, currently in operation, have fewer than 100 employees, and generate less than $6 million in annual revenue.

Details: Interested businesses can apply for one or all resources by completing an online application at ShopLocal.LA/DineLocal.  

Upon submission and eligibility confirmation, businesses will be contacted with detailed instructions for receiving equipment and supplies, as well as guidance on next steps for learning more and enrolling in the CalFresh Restaurant Meals Program and AJCCs, as applicable.