Get funding for your good work

The Eat Out Restaurant Relief Fund is here to provide funds so you can keep putting food on the table for the growing number of hungry families around the country.

Please note - we're working hard to access more funds so we can keep supporting restaurants. We're paying out to successful applicants as fast as money is donated into the Fund.

Before you start
There’s quite a bit of paperwork (for the accountants and auditors), so before you get going, please make sure you qualify. Also, see Frequently Asked Questions below.

  • Are you a registered business within the restaurant and food industry operating freely in South Africa with no intention of profiteering?
  • Do you have an on-site kitchen at the restaurant you are applying for, that is being used in whole or part to prepare community meals or alternatively have mobilised in another community kitchen to provide meals for the needy but incurring your own restaurant operational expenses such as staff wages or food production costs related to that food relief project?
  • Do you have a valid Essential Service permit to operate and produce food for our communities during Lockdown?
  • Are you in good standing with SARS?
  • Are you currently participating in a project to provide food for people or communities impacted by Covid-19?
  • Can you state how many meals you can produce per day, and at what cost?
  • Do you have your own approved distribution channel to deliver food, or are you in partnership with another company or NGO that has a valid permit?
  • Do you have PPE equipment and are safety measures in place?
  • Have you been operating for at least 6 months?

There are also requirements you will need to meet. Are you prepared to:

  • Submit invoices and a report on expenditure every month?
  • Send us video footage of you and your team in action, as well as your beneficiaries, so we can share it on our channels and spread good-news stories?

If you answered yes to all these, please apply, we want to help you!

If you can’t answer yes to all these, unfortunately, you don’t meet the minimum requirements to apply for funding right now – please get in touch if things change and we can help later on.

If you need an Essential Service permit, please visit https://www.bizportal.gov.za. If you want to help and are looking for a feeding scheme or project to support, please visit https://www.riseagainsthunger.org

If you need PPE equipment, contact the Community Chest, who may be able to help you source it. https://www.comchest.org.za

How to apply

Please go to the application form and complete it as carefully as possible. Once that’s done, please email us at help@eatout.co.za, and attach the following documents:

  • Essential Service provider Level 4 Permit (if you have one) – in colour (not a black-and-white copy). Let us know if you don't have one and we will ask you to complete an affidavit.
  • Business registration document/certificate
  • Copy of ID of Director or Owner of the establishment
  • A proof of banking details letter issued by your bank within the last three months, or if this is not possible, please download proof of banking details from your banking online portal.
  • Proof of address and geographic area.
  • proof of valid registration with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) or as a sole proprietor
  • a valid tax clearance certificate or PIN.

What happens now?

Your application will be assessed by the Applications Panel. If you’re successful, you’ll receive a funding notification letter. You will then need to submit an invoice so the funds can be paid to you. The amount granted will be guided by the number of meals you’re producing, capped at a maximum per restaurant of R50 000. The funds will be released to you as fast as possible – we want you to keep cooking! 

Thank you for the good work you and your team are doing to help feed South Africa, we salute you!

Please note:

The Fund will support registered businesses within the restaurant and food industry that are operating and supplying meals to the community from their onsite/offsite kitchens.

Eat Out reserves the right to decline any application that isn’t an appropriate fit to our objectives or if entities do not meet the criteria. Donations will be capped at R50 000 per entity. You could receive any amount up to this and at the discretion of the Applications Panel. Funding must be used to subsidise expenses towards staff salaries and operational costs of your feeding project.

Eat Out strictly reserves the right to request any further information in order to confirm that applicants meet the qualifying criteria.

The Fund cannot arrange permits or create distribution channels. 

Application Form


Frequently asked questions

1. Can I still apply for funding if we now do deliveries as well as run a community feeding kitchen?
Yes, so long as the required amount of meals are going out to communities in need, we welcome any other ways you find to keep your business running.

2.    I submitted my Essential Service Permit, but it wasn't accepted. Why? 
Your Essential Service Permit needs to show your restaurant name, company name or your trading name. We can’t accept your certificate if there’s no link to your business unless you are operating from a registered offsite kitchen.

3.    I’ve just been notified that my application was successful. When will I receive the funding? 
The Eat Out Restaurant Relief Fund needs an invoice from you so we can pay as quickly as possible (within 2-3 days). Please check your funding notification letter, which outlines all the documents we need from you.

4.    Do I need to include VAT in the invoice I send to the Eat Out Restaurant Relief?  
As this is a donation, VAT isn’t required and shouldn’t be included.

5.    I’ve managed to get all my food and produce sponsored. Can I use your funding to cover my operational expenses instead? 
Absolutely! The objective of the Fund is to mobilise restaurants and help get them operational while feeding communities in need. We encourage you to source sponsored food items so that more of the funds donated can go towards your expenses like staff wages, rent, water, electricity, gas and so on.

6.    I run an NPO that is feeding our communities in need. Can I apply for funding? 
We commend the amazing work you’re doing to support our communities. However, as we aim to help restaurants to remain operational, we can only fund registered businesses in the restaurant and food industry. Hopefully one or more of the restaurants we support can supply you with cooked meals.