During a virtual roundtable discussion hosted by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan on Monday afternoon, Hammill said that he had to lay off “a couple people” since opening. He spends time cooking and filling shifts as needed.

“The relief that we hope to receive will allow me to hire, which will allow me to focus on all the other needs,” he said.

Hassan, D-N.H., said she introduced the bipartisan Recovery Startup Assistance Act alongside Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., as part of the larger relief package before Congress. The payroll assistance comes through the Employee Retention Tax Credit, which will run from July until the rest of 2021.

“Part of this new relief package is going to be important in helping new businesses in New Hampshire and across the country get the relief they need to stay afloat,” Hassan said. “It’s going to help power our economic recovery.”

Many of the COVID-19 relief programs have not been available for businesses that opened after Feb. 15, 2020.

She hopes the House will pass the bill early this week.

Hassan, alongside Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., also supported $25 billion that will provide specific relief to the restaurant and hospitality industries.

Judi Window, owner of Diz’s restaurant in Manchester, signed the lease for the new spot at 860 Elm St. last January. The pandemic delayed the opening about two months and caused her and husband, Gary, to shift their business model.

She said they “clamped down” on expenses, including advertising and business association memberships. Some federal funds and Main Street relief money have helped the business survive.

“You can see the finish line,” she said of the pandemic. “We are excited that if this funding comes through we’ll be able to breathe as we make it through the finish line … This is going to be a breath of fresh air to get any kind of funding.”

The relief package will allow businesses to stay out of major debt and put themselves on a solid footing, said Ashley Haseltine, president of the Greater Derry Londonderry Chamber of Commerce.

“You’d rather see a business owner to be able to succeed rather than go into debt to achieve their dreams,” she said.

Mike Somers, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association, called the relief important.

“Any little bit is going to help weather the tail end of this storm,” he said. “Knock on wood, but I really hope we are narrowing in on a time when we get back to some semblance of normal.”

Joel Nkounkou, co-founder and CEO of ecoText in Durham, said one challenge has been recruiting and staying competitive with other companies. Tech companies typically offer higher paying jobs.

“Recruiting has certainly been dynamic. We are kind of thinking ahead of how we are going to manage an office dynamic,” he said.

Hassan hopes the relief will help businesses start investing in the future instead of just trying to survive.

“We don’t want this recovery to take a really long time,” she said. “We want to be able to help it move along.”