Chipotle's digital sales grew more than 102% in March, as customers sheltered-in-place, ordering burritos for delivery or pick-up. Chipotle anticipates digital growth to continue to pay off after the pandemic ends, with CEO Brian Niccol saying he expects to see dining rooms begin to reopen "in the next month or two." "Our rewards database just went from 8 million to 12 million," Niccol said. "And that's going to be a very valuable asset." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.As the restaurant industry faces plunging sales and massive layoffs, mobile apps and digital as rare prospects for growth. On Tuesday, Chipotle reported that its digital sales grew 80.8% in the most recent quarter, accounting for 26.3% of all sales as dining rooms shuttered and customers sheltered in place.

Oklahoma begins a multi-phase reopening of state businesses on Friday.Small business owners are feeling the pressure of unpaid bills — and the risk of infection — as they await government loans and support funds."Everyone is cautious about opening," one small business owner told Business Insider.Another said: "I want to go back to work tomorrow. I'm tired of this."Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Small-business owner Sandra Dickson faces a seemingly impossible choice.A massage therapist in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Dickson is among the 20.6% of Americans who are jobless. She opened a beauty and wellness spa just weeks before the coronavirus pandemic. It's been shut down for at least as long as it was open. In that time, Dickson has "received no income," she told Business Insider.

President Trump signed into law a $484 billion coronavirus relief bill that includes another $310 billion in funds designed to provide relief to small businesses.The Small Business Administration will resume accepting loan applications through the Paycheck Protection Program on April 27.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.President Donald Trump signed into law a $484 billion coronavirus relief bill on April 24.The bill includes $310 billion in new funds for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was put in place to provide aid for small businesses.According to a statement released by Jovita Carranza, administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the SBA will begin accepting PPP loan applications again on Monday, April

Fine dining is no longer on the table during the pandemic, meaning that America's top chefs and restaurants have had to get creative with their resources.We talked to three top fine dining restaurant owners about what they're doing to get their businesses through the pandemic, and each perspective was vastly different.Naomi Pomeroy, Hugh Acheson, and Mark Canlis share what they did when the pandemic hit, what they're doing with their staff, what they're doing with their time now, and what they think the future will be like for the restaurant industry.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Fine dining is no longer on the table. Sometimes it's at your doorstep, and sometimes it's on a curb in Atlanta. Sometimes it's just unavailable.For fine dining restaurants, which often rely on

US banks earned $10 billion in two weeks processing the loans from the government scheme to protect small businesses from financial ruin during the coronavirus crisis, according to an NPR report.The rescue plan worth $349 billion offered businesses loans of up to $10 million to thousands of US companies and were guaranteed by the federal Small Business Administration.The banks charged a transaction fee of 5% on loans worth less than $350,000, while on loans worth between $2 million - $10 million, the cost was 1%.The banks defended the massive windfall of loan transaction fees, saying that processing the loans involved complicated vetting procedures.Treasury Department guidelines are less rigorous than for regular loans, and the taxpayer provides the funding, so there is little risk for the

The US government added a second round of $310 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). But small business owners who haven't applied for PPP loans yet, may be too late to receive any funding. Bankers, lawyers, and consultants said the volume of already approved loans will be enough to tap out the second round of funding.If you don't get government loans and funding, there are still a few other options available to small businesses.Click here for more BI Prime content.If you were hoping to get your loan application into the second round of stimulus funding for small businesses, the chances are stacked against you. But you could turn to tax relief or private companies, local governments, and organizations offering grants and resources to small businesses hurt by the pandemic.Late last

Alexis Dent is a freelance writer based in upstate New York whose company, XO Juliet, offers custom wedding vow writing services.By mid-March, her business all but dried up as spring and summer weddings began getting canceled because of the pandemic.Dent recognized there was a new need for eulogies to meet the rising number of funerals for people who passed away from COVID-19. "When I get a new order, I take a moment of silence," says Dent. "Every order for the past month has been a notification that someone is gone too soon."Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.One afternoon in February, I was staring out the window, experiencing writer's block after getting off the phone with a client who'd ordered wedding vows. It had been a long afternoon of writing, and I needed a change

The Elzarka family has owned Beninni, a men's formal wear store in Hayward, California, for 30 years. The shop was forced to shut down in the coronavirus lockdown, and has tried and failed to get government assistance loans through the coronavirus relief package.Shady Elzarka, whose dad founded the store, struggled to access either the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance (EIDL) and relief from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).Elzarka for weeks heard nothing from the Small Business Administration, through which he applied for an EIDL, or from Bank of America, where he applied for the PPP loan.Meanwhile much larger companies did not struggle to access government funding, some of which public pressure forced them to hand back.After Business Insider contacted Bank of America for

Christina Stembel founded her floral company, Farmgirl Flowers, in her dining room in 2010, using her personal savings and a cash-back credit card to cover business expenses.The company has since blossomed into a thriving startup that employed almost 200 staff members prior to the coronavirus.However, as the pandemic causes economic fallout worldwide, Stembel told Business Insider that the future of her company is uncertain.She said the process of applying for the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program, a government fund meant to help small businesses through the coronavirus pandemic, was frustrating and fruitless."I know that the intention of this program is to help small businesses, so let's change it to make sure this money does fall into the hands of small businesses," she said.Visit

The Federal Reserve announced Thursday it will expand its Main Street Lending Program to include mid-sized companies and those with greater leverage.The central bank expanded program eligibility to businesses with 15,000 employees or $5 billion in revenue, up from the 10,000 employee and $2.5 billion limits.The Fed didn't provide a start date for the relief program, adding that it would be announced "soon."A separate aid program for nonprofit organizations is under consideration, the Fed said in a release.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.The Federal Reserve is widening its Main Street Lending Program to include more mid-sized businesses seeking loans amid the economic downturn.The central bank announced Thursday it will expand credit eligibility to firms with up to 15,000

Jonathan Ross is one of the 300 master sommeliers in the world: He is an educator for the Guild of Sommeliers, an examiner for the Court of Master Sommeliers, and sits on multiple wine investment advisory boards, as well as founded Micro Wines.He says that although the alcohol industry is booming for large retailers, small businesses are struggling to find ways to stay afloat.Many smaller retailers and restaurants are turning to creative ways of staying open, including virtual tastings, delivery, and designer happy hours.Support your local restaurants and wine sellers now if you want them to survive this lockdown period.Click here for more BI Prime stories.With a substantial amount of lockdown time under our belts, people around the world have found creative ways to remain social, active,

The Paycheck Protection Program is a key component of the federal government's response to the economic devastation caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.After the initial $350 billion allocated for the small business loans at the heart of the program was exhausted in just two weeks, Congress appropriated an additional $320 billion in funding.A recent Small Business Administration report shows where that second round of funding has gone so far.While the first round largely went to more rural states on a per-capita basis, much of the $175 billion from the second round that was dispersed as of May 1 has gone to larger, harder-hit states.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.The novel coronavirus has ravaged the US economy, with more than 33 million Americans filing for unemployment

Simon Cowell's ex-girlfriend Jasmine Lennard has announced that she is engaged to her billionaire businessman boyfriend Mohammed Al Saif.

Therapists for the 1% are seeing a surge in business during the pandemic, Mark Ellwood reported for Bloomberg.Some of their wealthy clients are worried about finding the perfect Hamptons vacation rental.Others are anxious about not being able to see their personal trainers five days a week and gaining weight during quarantine.Meanwhile, more than 30 million people lost their jobs during the pandemic, many of whom are low earners struggling to pay rent.The coronavirus outbreak is shining a light on the disparities between the rich and poor in the US.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Therapists that cater to the 1% are seeing a surge in business during the coronavirus outbreak, Mark Ellwood reported for Bloomberg.While many people are experiencing heightened anxiety because

President Trump said he would use recent news a Ukrainian court ordered an investigation into Joe Biden as ammunition if he were to become the Democrat presidential candidate.

EXCLUSIVE: When it comes to Shaun Edwards and rugby, emotion usually drives everything. But Saturday's Wales clash is strictly business. He does not do teary-eyed returns.

Graduate school application season has been hindered by the coronavirus outbreak, causing in-person standardized testing to be shuttered. Starting April 20, the GMAT will be available online for students seeking to take the test. Top schools, including Harvard and MIT Sloan, have either waived the test requirement or said they would accept online scores.But candidates in China, Iran, Cuba, Sudan, Slovenia, and North Korea won't have access to the online version.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way students work, learn, and interact with each other. And many graduate schools have shifted application requirements, relaxed deadlines, or taken the entire process virtual, including top-notch institutions like NYU Stern and Berkeley's Haas.But

The coronavirus has forced grocery delivery drivers on the front lines of the pandemic.Mirchi, a small New York City grocery delivery service with around 10 employees, is struggling to keep up with a 400% increase in demand.The company's founder said that "by day three, all of my employees were burnt out."View more episodes of Business Insider Today on Facebook.Since the spread of the coronavirus in the US, drivers like Remy Quezada Rodriguez are on the front lines of the pandemic, delivering food to Americans hunkered down at home. Rodriguez works for Mirchi, a small New York City grocery delivery service specializing in South Asian ingredients. Lately, the company has been inundated with orders of rice, spices, and other goods.To keep up with demand, the company's founder Naresh Mulchandani

States and city governments are offering millions in loans and grants to businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. California's IBank is offering up to $50,000 in direct loans and loan guarantees for companies with fewer than 750 employees, while Maryland is granting $100,000 to manufacturers that can quickly pivot to make personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical needs items. Most applications are submitted online and require basic business information as well as proof of how business revenue declined due to COVID-19.This piece will be updated as new information becomes available.Click here fore more BI Prime stories.As the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the lives and operations of millions of American business owners, more state and local governments are offering

Two tax provisions of the $2 trillion stimulus package could put cash back into small business owners' pockets almost immediately. Most businesses will be eligible to defer payroll taxes and receive tax credits for keeping employees.However, businesses may not be eligible for tax relief if they receive a forgiveable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program.To understand how business owners can take advantage of these programs Business Insider reviewed IRS guidelines and spoke with a small business advisor at Wiss & Co. accounting firm. Click here for more BI Prime content.Businesses that have been forced to close, limit operations, and lay off employees during the coronavirus pandemic have several lifelines available to them, two of which are tax-related and could put cash back in their

More than half of small businesses in the US have temporarily closed their doors, or plan to this month, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Private organizations, including Amazon and Facebook, are teaming up to offer millions in cash grants and low-interest loans to small business owners.Amazon created a $5 million relief fund to support local businesses around its Seattle and Washington offices. Hello Alice is giving $10,000 emergency cash grants to distressed businesses in the US.Click here for more BI Prime stories.Organizations across the country are rallying together to support small businesses fighting to survive the COVID-19 quarantine shutdown.One in four small businesses nationwide have temporarily closed and another 40% expect to this month, according to a recent survey from MetLife and

Getty ImagesThe author is not pictured.I've had a little extra cash in my pocket since quarantine started - I'm saving money on rideshares, restaurants, travel, and more.Instead of keeping that money, though, I'm spending it on businesses I hope will stay open post-COVID. I've bought art, paid for online classes at a local gym, and pre-paid for an appointment with my hair stylist.I've decided not to save the extra money because my emergency fund is in good shape.Read more personal finance coverage.As the economy grinds to a halt in the wake of the coronavirus, I've found myself in the strange position of having a little extra cash on hand that I'm not accustomed to. For a little bit of context: I'm a freelance writer who's worked from home since 2015, and my industry has yet to be heavily

Getty ImagesAll of the PPP loan funds have been committed, but new Fed-backed loans could help some businesses come back after the crisis.Less than two weeks after launch, all of the $349 billion allocated to small businesses in the CARES Act has been committed.Lending could now come to a grinding halt as banks won't have the guarantee of the US Treasury to back up more loans.Business owners who still need financing greater than $1 million can take advantage of the Federal Reserve's Main Street Lending program, which will support additional loans from banks.The Fed's program backs four-year loans with payments and interest deferred for the first year.Visit BI Prime for more stories.Just 12 days after the launch of the Payroll Protection Program, all $350 billion in loans have been approved,

Anastasia Bendebury and Michael Shilo DeLay are the creators of Demystifying Science, a science literacy organization which clarifies confusing science.They were both furloughed from their full-time jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic, which led them to pour more time into their newly launched organization.To get through this tough period, they're cutting back where they can and reaching out to as many people as possible who might need their work.Separating business from couple life is key when kickstarting a project together, and ultimately taking the plunge to do it.Click here for more BI Prime stories.In early March when Italy issued its stay-at-home order, we were still at work. Michael was teaching high school physics, and Nastia was guiding science and wine tours in the Pacific Northwest.

Russian real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, 64, said his Crocus Group business is in trouble due to coronavirus shutdowns and fears the worst is yet to come when Russia hits its peak in May.

The Australian student's business partner, Michelle Joyce, said she would 'be surprised' if he didn't return to the country despite the negative experience.

Tourism bosses in Bali are optimistic that the resort could open its doors to tourists again in June if the Balinese people are 'disciplined' about social distancing.

The former UFC champion, 31, cannot use his own name for his sportswear brand. McGregor New York, founded in 1921 by Scotsman David Doniger, won the legal battle.

Matt, 43 and Gail Waterman, 45, from South Yorkshire, were desperate to find a product that could address hair loss, and created their own formula containing caffeine and biotin.

Neil Peet, 50, has been good friends with lottery winner Steve Thomson for years and was one of many at a boozy party he threw to celebrate at home in West Sussex.

Michael Heup, an employee at North Carolina-based business Bitty & Beau's, took to the White House stage for the event about the Paycheck Protection Program.

A few weeks before Monty Bennett's companies received the sum, he hired Jeff Miller, former vice chairman of Trump's inaugural committee, and Roy Bailey, a re-election campaign fundraiser.

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said unless there is an unexpected surge in coronavirus cases over the next few days, New Zealand will ease lockdown.

EXCLUSIVE: Ellen Latham, 62, of Florida, was 40 and a single mother when she started OrangeTheory Fitness, which has 800K members in 49 US states and 22 countries.

The National Hemp Service was going to sell products such as clothes, made from a legal strain of cannabis, from a cafe in North London. But it never opened and was soon liquidated.

The reality star star, 40, put on an ab-baring display in a knotted black crop top and matching blazer as she celebrated a friend's birthday at Nobu. Kourtney is always dressed to impress.

The 40-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star donned a brown leather suit after leaving a studio in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

EXCLUSIVE: Ninth generation farmer Jaap Korteweg, 57, revealed how he turned his back on meat - and his centuries-old family business - to launch a range of vegetarian products.

Former Bachelor star Lisa Hyde has issued a warning to aspiring fashion designers hoping to use reality TV as an overnight springboard to success.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: After The Ritz was snapped up last month for £800million making it the most expensive hotel in the world, people have wondered who bought it.

David Singleton, 42, a senior NHS official in London - who has reportedly been working at the Nightingale hospital - launched the business two weeks ago to trade in visors, masks and gowns.

it is outrageous that the Prime Minister should tell people to stay away from the high street without putting in place practical help for the businesses that will suffer as a result, Ruth Sunderland writes...

Three more GOP candidates are likely to be downgraded from prime time to meal time at the next debate, including Rand Paul. The senator says he won't debate at all if it comes to that.

Sancher Harpe, 44, from Russell Island, Queensland, Australia, flew with British Airways to Newcastle from Sydney. Sancher flew home to be with her family for her stepmother's funeral.

Frequent flyers voted in the UK's biggest frequent flyer website's airline awards, with the site - www.headforpoints.com - saying BA's new business class seat represents 'a genuine step forward'.

Gilbert Ott, who runs the flight tips site God Save The Points, said that the global crisis means that 'up to 50 to 60 seats on every flight that would usually be filled are currently going empty'.

After four years of negotiations and a huge investment in security, Sharm El-Sheikh airport is preparing for direct flights from the UK. Mark Jones went and found some amazing bargains.

Abdallah Chatila (pictured) spent £500,000 on the haul of Nazi items, including Hitler's cigar box, a copy of Mein Kampf and the £43,000 hat, at a Munich auction house last month.