Rep. Stevens Chats w/Woodpile BBQ Owners About Business Relief Efforts

Clawson, MI – When Tim Idzikowski Woodpile BBQ’s second location in Dec. 2019 he had no idea that a worldwide pandemic would soon clamp down on life and business.  Employees were laid off.  Revenues plummeted. And the future was uncertain.

However, like other small businesses around the country, Idzikowski was able to find relief through the Payroll Protection Program loan program, which divvied up Federal funds to keep businesses like Woodplie BBQ afloat during the pandemic.  Idzikowski received $156,000, which helped him to pay employee wages as well as employee bonuses, while also paying off business debt.

He and members of the Woodpile team met with Congressperson Haley Stevens Wednesday morning at Woodpile’s Downtown Clawson location to talk about the PPP program, and share what their experience has been like navigating this past year. Woodpile opened their Clawson location in December 2015.  Madison Heights opened just before the pandemic hit.

Rep. Stevens is optimistic that Restaurant Act funding will soon be available for restaurant owners.  The $28.6 billion fund is “to provide restaurants with grants equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss, up to $10 million per entity, or $5 million per physical location.