Chef Guy Fieri handing out grants to struggling restaurants, local culinary students in SoCal

Chef Guy Fieri is on a mission to help revitalize the restaurant industry after the pandemic.

He and a team of sponsors are handing out $300,000 worth of grants to aspiring restaurant entrepreneurs and existing owners.

Four grants were handed out in Southern California. Two were given to culinary college students at Cal Poly Pomona and California Baptist University.

Another two were granted to owners of local restaurants, including PorchBox in Laguna Hills.

According to the National Restaurant Association, around 90,000 restaurants are still closed. Those that are open are dealing with higher costs and lower profits.