Still, the data revealed that other large companies applied for, received and kept multimillion-dollar loans, including restaurant groups Five Guys, P.F. Chang’s and TGI Friday’s, which all received aid worth somewhere between $5 million and $10 million.
A chain of luxury restaurants and boutique hotels co-owned by actor Robert De Niro received at least 14 loans through the taxpayer-funded Paycheck Protection Program, according to government filings released Monday.
The aid, part of the federal government’s $670 billion efforts to staunch the economic pain of the coronavirus pandemic and help small businesses avert mass layoffs, was worth at least $11.4 million and as much as $27.7 million, the data shows. The chain received relief for properties across the country, from Malibu, California to New York City.
De Niro, who’s worth an estimated $500 million, co-founded the swanky Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant in 1994. Along with his co-founders — celebrity chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa and film producer and entrepreneur Meir Teper — the actor owns 46 restaurants and 13 luxury hotels across the world. Nobu Hospitality, the name of their lifestyle brand, was founded in 2009.
[…]
