CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The pandemic hit restaurants hard and as cases continue to rise, it poses a challenge for their employees.

That’s one of the reasons why Tueplo Honey, a southeastern restaurant chain, created a fund called Bisucits for a Cause. 

What You Need To Know 

• Biscuits For A Cause has raised $500,000 

• The company has awarded 150 employees across 16 locations, totaling $250,000

• This fund helped two employees in their Uptown Charlotte location 

It’s a grant program aimed at helping employees who may face financial trouble for a number of reasons, including if they catch COVID-19. 

Two employees at their Uptown Charlotte location faced that exact situation. 

Manager Amber Goodwin came down with the virus and couldn’t work for 14 days. 

While quarantined with her family and her 9-year-old son, she says they worked on a lot puzzles. But she had another puzzle to figure out. She wondered how she’d put the pieces together to take care of her family. 

“I moved here for him and to get away from our small town and make better for us and having to stay home was hard, not making money was hard,” Goodwin said. "Just in two weeks, I was scared to lose everything I worked hard for.”

She wasn’t the only one. Employee Kimberly Davis also had to take off of work when her 10-year-old son came down with COVID-19. 

“It was scary because I have other kids around. I also have grandkids as well, so it was scary,” Davis said. “Totally in my whole household, so having all of us confined for that whole time was stressful.”

Both then discovered they could apply for Biscuits for a Cause, and both received the grant money. 

“It was a blessing to receive that grant, and it covered what I would have missed out money-wise, so it was a wonderful feeling,” Goodwin said. 

“They say it’s not a guarantee, but I ended up getting it, and I was surprised when it came in the mail,” Davis said. "It was just such a surprise, because I didn’t know if I would be able to get it.” 

The general manager at the Uptown location, Drew Liberti says they started this fund in the beginning of the pandemic last year. 

“The program started by saying 'hey, biscuits, which is an item we used to give them for free complimentary to guests, what is more rewarding to a guest than giving them something for free,'” Liberti said. "And what we found out was they were excited to be willing to pay if they knew it was going to help the guests give something back to the servers.”

A company representative says they’ve raised more than $500,000 through Biscuits for a Cause, and so far they’ve awarded $250,000 to more than 150 employees across their 16 locations.