The Maui News

American Savings Bank has relaunched the Hawaii Restaurant Card Business Holiday Card program in a statewide effort to support the struggling restaurant and food supply chain industry at a time when they need it most, the bank said Tuesday.

The program is a reintroduction of the state’s Hawaii Restaurant Card program, in which $500 debit cards were mailed out to unemployed Hawaii residents in 2020 to use and help boost local establishments during the pandemic.

“Last year, the Hawaii Restaurant Card program resulted in more than $75 million of direct impact to our local food supply chain — including restaurants, farmers, fishermen, ranchers, producers and distributors — which all benefited from this statewide economic stimulus initiative,” Gov. David Ige said in a news release. “Today, I hope businesses will consider purchasing Hawaii Restaurant Cards for their holiday gifts. This will ensure that our money stays in the islands and benefits our local community.”

The goal of the program is to distribute 50,000 cards to residents across the state, which would equate to $2.5 million in support to local food establishments from the Hawaii business community, according to the news release.

Businesses can complete the business holiday card order form online through Dec. 10. Organizations that place their order by Nov. 26 will receive their cards by Dec. 10. Orders received after Nov. 26 and before Dec. 10 will be delivered by Dec. 31. All cards are valid through June 30, 2022.

Cards are available in denominations of $25, $50 and $100 and will be bulk mailed directly to businesses to distribute. Cardholders will be able to use the preloaded debit cards at all Hawaii restaurants, eateries, bars, taverns and fast food establishments that accept debit MasterCard.

Nearly 37 percent of restaurant owners recently surveyed by the Hawaii Restaurant Association reported their revenue dropped more than half in September and October, compared with the two prior months, according to the news release. Additionally, 19 percent of restaurants lost over 30 percent of their employees in the same months.

For more information or to obtain the order form, visit asbhawaii.com/HRC.