LOUDONVILLE — The Mohican Area Growth Foundation (MAGF) wants to attract more dining options to downtown Loudonville.
Jordan Lance, MAGF’s board president announced the Loudonville Downtown Dining Expansion Grant Program at the foundation’s annual meeting on Thursday.
“Everybody always wants more downtown dining options or more dining options in general,” Lance said.
The grant program “supports the creation or expansion of full‐service restaurants in downtown Loudonville, Ohio. The goals are to increase food-service options for residents and visitors, extend evening activation and strengthen the hospitality ecosystem and vibrancy of the downtown district,” according to the program guidelines.
Projects seeking MAGF funding must be located between the following boundaries:
- North: Butler Street
- South: Bustle Street
- East: Pleasant Drive
- West: Mount Vernon Avenue
The program budget is $80,000, where MAGF will match 80% of the project up to $80,000 per location, and applicants must contribute the other 20%. The project size must be a minimum of $10,000.
“We know that if somebody’s going to build a restaurant, it’s going to cost a lot more than $80,000, but we hope this will help make the math work. So that’s what this program is for,” Lance said.
Project awards are reimbursement-based, meaning the funds are released to applicants after improvements are installed with proper documentation of costs.
MAGF will begin accepting project applications on Nov. 1, with a priority review window of Nov. 1 through Jan. 31, and an application deadline of May 1, 2026 at 5 p.m.
The target for project completion is Dec. 31, 2026, and funds will be reimbursed 45 days following project completion.
“The MAGF Board may modify these dates or re‐open the window depending on funding and downtown priorities,” according to the program guidelines.
Who can apply and how can funds be used?
The grant program is open to full-service dining establishments that meet the following core elements:
- Dinner‐appropriate menu prepared on‐site with a recurring evening meal service.
- On‐premises dine‐in seating and guest amenities, such as bathrooms
- Table and/or counter service through servers and bussers
- Code‐compliant kitchen and equipment sufficient to produce the approved menu
“The MAGF Board retains discretion to interpret edge cases. These criteria provide practical guidance to ensure vibrant, evening‐active dining downtown,” the program guidelines note.
Dining establishments that are ineligible for the program include beverage-only, such as coffeehouses or bars without substantive dinner menus, carry-out only establishments, lunch-only or limited service establishments and short-term pop-ups.
However, if those establishments are upgrading to full‐service by installing a commercial kitchen, adding a substantive dinner menu or adding seating capacity, they would be eligible to apply.
Projects must establish or expand a full-service dining operation, be compliant with all zoning, building and health requirements and have site control through ownership or lease.
Snack shops, fast‐food chains, mobile food trucks or concepts outside the eligible area are not eligible to apply for funding.
Funds can be used for:
● Commercial kitchen hood equipment with fire suppression
● Commercial ovens, cooking ranges, sinks and grease traps
● Commercial refrigeration, food‐holding,and warming units
● Improvements related to outdoor dining
● Interior leasehold improvements to expand full‐service dining (infrastructure, code‐driven upgrades)
● Non‐removable building improvements (infrastructure, flooring, partitions, lighting, millwork, etc.)
“Projects are evaluated on a 100‐point rubric designed to reward both new restaurants and existing downtown operators who meaningfully expand capacity and evening activity,” according to the guidelines.
For more information about eligibility, requirements and application evaluations, refer to the programs guidelines document, attached below.
