American Express has announced its Backing International Small Restaurants program is returning for its fourth year with small and independently-owned restaurants, cafés, bars or pubs with food offering encouraged to apply.
The Amex program is offering 15 grants valued at $23,000 to small venue owners in Greater Sydney and Greater Melbourne, plus five grants worth NZ$25,000 to eligible venues in Auckland.
American Express Australia and New Zealand Vice President of Global Merchant Network Services Robert Tedesco said: “Independent restaurants are often at the heart of our villages and communities – bringing people together, shaping local culture, and fuelling the economy.
“We’re proud to expand this program even further for its fourth year in 2025, now reaching Auckland for the first time, alongside Sydney and Melbourne.
“These cities are home to some of the most dynamic and diverse dining scenes in the world, driven by passionate chefs, restaurateurs, and family-run businesses. These grants will help them grow, innovate, and continue serving their communities.”
This year, the American Express Backing International Small Restaurants program is delivering US$1.45m in funding to 100 restaurants around the world, so they can make critical improvements, like enhancing their digital capabilities, refreshing dining spaces, and improving kitchen operations. Since 2022 in Australia, this Amex program has delivered $522,500 in financial support.
Sue and Dale Messina from Bojak Brewing, a 75-seater brewery in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong were one of the 13 grant recipients in Australia in 2024:
Speaking about the grant, Sue said: “The American Express grant was great because it helped us afford improvements that we couldn’t have made otherwise. We installed permanent gas heaters in the outdoor beer garden, making it a perfect year-round spot for families and beer lovers alike.
“The grant also enabled us to invest in new kitchen flooring and better equipment like a new density meter to provide more precise measurements and streamline the brewing process, as well as a carton box-taper to improve efficiency when packaging beer.”
Applications for the Backing International Small Restaurants program are now open and close on July 1.