Indoor dining returns on a limited capacity Friday in Deschutes and 11 other counties after Gov. Kate Brown eased restrictions Tuesday. However, Crook and Jefferson counties stayed among the “Extreme Risk” and remain closed for indoor dining.
As hundreds of Oregon restaurants open their doors, industry suppliers and restaurant owners are scrambling to safely open. Jason Brandt, President & CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association said two prevailing issues remain – continuity of restaurant operations and getting employees back on the schedule.
“Today’s announcement represents a significant step in the right direction,” Brandt stated. “It’s our job to make sure the Governor’s Office and Oregon’s Legislators understand what we think will happen next because of today’s news. Top on the list are the challenges facing small businesses attempting to manage two weeks of operational certainty at a time which includes finding workers who are trying to pay monthly bills. And we must acknowledge the 14 counties with restaurant operations still trying to survive in the winter with no indoor dining.”
He reported the opening and closing of restaurant operations continues to be cited as the number one challenge facing the industry with the biggest issues revolving around worker schedules and forecasting food supply needs in a limited time period once announcements on changes are made.
Approximately 38 percent of Oregonians still live in a county where indoor dining is not currently available.
ORLA is mounting a grassroots effort of industry professionals this week to continue encouraging outreach to Oregon’s Legislators and Governor Brown’s professional staff given the clear divide being experienced in a state with just over half its restaurants open while the others attempt to hold on.
“We know firsthand how difficult it is for Oregon’s restaurant industry to ramp up their businesses two weeks at a time,” said Brandt. “Our goal in facilitating ongoing communication is to provide our elected leaders and their professional staff with the personal stories behind these challenges in hopes of providing more runway and a glide path for work schedules Oregonians can rely on. The easiest way to accommodate this would be to move to a system based on Low, Moderate, and High COVID-19 risk in each county and eliminate the Extreme Risk category altogether. Having three levels of risk instead of four would provide an additional level of flexibility needed as restaurants continue their fight for survival.”
For more information on the efforts of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association please visit OregonRLA.org.
