Rewarding Opportunities That Support Our Industry, Workforce

“Little did I know my culinary arts elective teacher... would be responsible for my graduating high school with honors, signing with my Division 1 dream team and being the first in my family to attend a four-year university…” - South Salem ProStart Student, Teacher Nomination 2019

​Philanthropy takes many forms. Sometimes you can easily see the impact of giving, like when someone who was cold walks away with a smile and a bit more energy after putting on a donated coat. Sometimes, however, you never really know how your actions and engagement may have a positive influence on someone, perhaps for a lifetime. 

Students who lack confidence and/or direction, as well as adults with socio-economic challenges seeking tools to help them become more self-dependent and stable, often thrive when positive role models and experiential learning are integrated with school and training programs. Interactions and reinforcements can also result in employment recruitment opportunities. When that happens with an industry partner who engages with our programs it represents the perfect wrap-around to the ORLA Education Foundation’s mission.

Why Do You Support ORLAEF’s Work?

• “I have been observing and participating with ProStart for well over a decade… and found that (that it is)… highly effective in early engagement, compressed learning modules, and increasing student interest in pursuit of food service careers.” Cory Schreiber, Culinary Consultant, Sysco Portland
• “I believe that it is important for our industry to support these students through sponsorship in order to help our industry grow through future generations.” Ryan McPhail, COO, Curtis Restaurant Equipment
• “My most memorable experience was to partner with ORALEF to present a complimentary Guest Service Gold class to the community of Cascade Locks to assist them in their economic recovery after the devastating 2017 Eagle Creek Fire.” Paul Paz, WaitersWorld
• “Guiding the drive and talent of our future workforce is something I don’t think twice about being involved in …not only rewarding, but I am blown away by their levels of execution and innovation at such a young age.” Seth Gruschow, Owner, Togather Restaurant Consultants
• “I’m excited to volunteer with ORLAEF’s board because hospitality really is one of the last, truly upwardly mobile industries in our increasingly divided and polarized country… hospitality is awash with stories of exec chefs who started as dishwashers and general managers who started by parking cars or serving banquets.” Alex Thompson, Area Director of People and Culture, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
• “ProStart has become a value and priority for me. The students have fresh ideas, hope and energy that they bring to the hospitality industry. They want mentoring and experience that we can give. I found a renewed excitement of the younger generation, a feeling of wanting to give more.” Treva Gambs, Owner, Gamberetti’s
• “When we share our time, experience, and energy to help others succeed, we can exponentially multiply ‘the good’… it is rewarding to help students gain self-confidence and professional skills.” Michael Chamberlain-Torres, Hospitality Recruiter, Gecko Hospitality
• “Thank you for always being there and for supporting us through this whole journey. Because of you, we made it to (ProStart) nationals; we wouldn’t have been able to do it without you! We appreciate so much all of the positive vibes and reinforcement.” Bend High School Students, ORLAEF ProStart Invitational State Winners’ Letter to Wendy Popkin, ORLAEF

How Can You Get Involved?

1. Be Guest Speaker in a Classroom- Share your career, how you entered the industry, what helped you get ahead, what skills your position requires, and why you value your role in hospitality/culinary, and/or provide a demonstration.
2. Host a Field Trip- Invite a ProStart class to tour your operation to give students a better view of how your business operates and the job opportunities your type of organization offers.
3. Donate Money- ORLAEF is a 501c3 nonprofit and relies heavily on sponsorships and donations for our operational funds.
4. Adopt a School- Become an active partner with a local school in your community and make a financial donation that supports both ORLAEF and the school’s needs.
5. Use and Promote Our Industry Accredited Certifications and Training Programs- such as Certified Guest Service 
Professional (OregonGuestService.com), stackable credentials (AHLEI.org/certifications) and the new ServSuccess credentials (ServSuccess.com).
6. Assist with the 2020 ORLAEF ProStart Invitational (OregonRLA.org/Invitational)- Support the students’ capstone projects by judging, volunteering to help with the event, and/or donating prizes.
7. Create a Scholarship- Teachers as well as students often lack funds to support their continuing education needs.
8. Donate Product- Many culinary programs are forced to limit the scope of hands-on experience for students because of the cost of food and/or the lack of commercial equipment. 
9. Represent the Industry at a Career Fair- There are many middle school, high school, and social service opportunities to showcase our industry’s workforce opportunities.
10. Volunteer to Serve on a School District or Community Workforce Board- “The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease” and hospitality is chronically underrepresented in the decision-making process about the industries that receive attention and funding for public education classes and workforce training programs.

“Philanthropy means the love of humanity. A conventional modern definition is, ‘private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life.’ Philanthropy has distinguishing characteristics separate from charity; A difference commonly cited is that charity aims to relieve the pain of a particular social problem, whereas philanthropy attempts to address the root cause of the problem—the difference between the proverbial gift of a fish to a hungry person, versus teaching them how to fish.” - Wikipedia

Please join us in our efforts to teach others how to fish, via supporting your foundation’s programs that aim to provide opportunities for rewarding jobs that help individuals create stable and fulfilling lives. Contact me via email
 or 971.224.1105. | Wendy Popkin, ORLAEF

About 
Wendy Popkin is the Executive Director for ORLA’s Education Foundation (ORLAEF), a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting the educational and training needs of the hospitality industry. Wendy is a 30+-year career veteran who describes herself as “fanatically enthusiastic about helping others enjoy the same type of fabulous career opportunities I have enjoyed in the hospitality industry.”
 OregonRLA.org/EdFoundation

There were several new statewide laws passed in the 2019 Oregon Legislative Session that went into effect as of January 1, 2020 or earlier this year. The following are some of the more frequently asked bills related to hospitality businesses.

Plastic Straws on Request
SB 90 prohibits food and beverage providers or convenience stores from providing single-use plastic straws to consumers unless consumers specifically request single-use plastic straws. Although ORLA opposed this bill, we were able to gain concessions such as allowing for employees to offer drive-thru customers a plastic straw rather than requiring them to ask for one. After notice for a first and second violation, subsequent violations may include a fine of "not more than $25 for each day in which the food and beverage provider... remains in violation... The enforcement officer may not impose total fines of more than $300 during a calendar year." Read the specific bill language on SB 90. 

FAQs on plastic straws:

1. Can drive-thru locations still give straws without guest request? Restaurant drive-thru windows can verbally offer single-use plastic straws to consumers in vehicles.
2. I understand that cocktail straws are considered stirrers. Does the same law apply for self-serve coffee stations (i.e., hotel breakfast areas)? There is no statewide single-use plastic ban on stirrers. Only in local jurisdictions (like Portland) does this exist. A single-use plastic straw must be used to transfer liquid from a container to a person’s mouth, therefore stirrers should still be exempt.
3. Can service staff at a sit-down (full-service) restaurant ask the guest if they would like a straw? No, the guests will need to ask for a straw. The exception includes, "in which the consumer may receive a delivery of prepared food or a beverage while seated in or on a vehicle."
4. If a location has both a drive-thru and a dining room are the guests who dine-in served differently than those who drive through? Yes. Drive-thrus are explicitly allowed to be more proactive in asking if the customer wants a straw.   
5. Are hotel rooms with coffee service exempt from the plastic straw rule? Yes. They are not considered a licensed restaurant. Related, a hotel breakfast area, if it is just a breakfast area and not a restaurant, could provide plastic straws without a guest having to request them because they are not a licensed restaurant.
6. Do quick-service locations with a self-serve soda fountain need to remove straws from the self-serve area and only have them behind the counter for customers to request? Yes, if they are a restaurant. The exemption is that convenience stores can still have straws out in self-service areas if the convenience store doesn’t have space behind the counter to store the straws where staff are.
7. What other materials can be used for single-use straws instead? Businesses can still include straws if they’re not made from any sort of plastic; other material options may include but are not limited to paper, pasta, sugar cane, wood, or bamboo.
8. Are mobile food trucks that have walk-up customers treated like a “drive-thru?" No. The definition in the bill requires the person to be "seated in or on a vehicle."

Plastic Bag Ban
HB 2509B prohibits retail establishments from providing single-use checkout bags to customers, except in certain cases. ORLA opposed this bill to ban all plastic checkout bags from restaurants, grocery stores and other establishments. Violations carry a maximum fine of $250 with one occurrence per day maximum. Enforcement officers are those who conduct inspections on behalf of your local government or regulating state agency, and may determine compliance during these inspections. Read the specific bill language on HB 2509.

FAQs on Plastic Bags:

1. Do drive-thru locations need to adhere to the new single-use plastic bag ban? Yes.
2. What can restaurants provide to customers? Restaurants may provide: (a) Recycled paper checkout bags at no cost to customers, (b) Reusable plastic checkout bags at no cost to customers who use an electronic benefits transfer card issued by the Department of Human Services, or if they charge not less than five cents per bag.
3. What are the restrictions for restaurants? Restaurants may not provide: (a) Single-use checkout bags to customers, (b) Reusable plastic checkout bags to customers unless the restaurant charges not less than five cents for each reusable plastic checkout bag.
4. Are single-use biodegradable plastic bags still allowed? No. Checkout bags can only be a recycled paper checkout bag, a reusable fabric checkout bag or a reusable plastic checkout bag.

Resources:

• DEQ/State of Oregon website
• Sustainable Shopping Initiative FAQs
• A Better Way to Bag - FAQs and Suggestions from Hillsboro Chamber and City of Hillsboro

Some cities in Oregon have already instituted plastic bag bans. This new law “generally preempts, or overrides, any existing local checkout bag policy." Local governments cannot have different restrictions from the statewide law in their local policy, but could require a higher fee and impose a penalty other than the penalty established under HB 2509—but a restaurant or retail store can only be charged with a violation under either the local provision or HB 2509.

• City of Portland Single-Use Plastics 
• City of Salem Plastic Bag Ban in Effect 

Commercial Activities Tax
The new Commercial Activity Tax is imposed only after a taxpayer exceeds $1 million of taxable commercial activity. Once they pass that threshold, the tax is $250 plus 0.57% on gross receipts greater than $1 million after subtractions. Draft rules have been released by the Department of Revenue, including estimated payments and filing extensions. The Department of Revenue intends to release a series of draft rules through March, with the permanent rulemaking process beginning on April 1, 2020. The tax begins on January 1, 2020. It includes all business entity types, including C and S corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, etc. Read more on the CAT, timelines, and other resources.

Accommodations for Pregnancy Related Conditions
The Oregon Legislature recently passed House Bill 2341 (2019) which provides additional employee protections related to pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition, including lactation. Read more at Oregon.gov/boli.

Real ID
As of Oct. 1, 2020, regular Oregon driver’s licenses will no longer be valid to board a commercial flight, or do other activities where a federally approved form of identification is required. Should someone choose not to upgrade to a Real ID, a standard Oregon driver’s licenses will still be good for activities, such as driving, purchasing alcohol, registering to vote or applying for benefits.

​Questions? If you have additional questions on these or other new laws, contact Nicole Peterson, Government Affairs Coordinator, at 503.320.9823.
​

ORLA staff will be on the road April-May 2020 hosting Regional Meetings where members can engage in discussions on issues impacting their business. These meetings, held twice a year in fall and spring, provide members an informal, round-table forum to gain insight and intelligence, exchange ideas and ask questions. ​

[2020 dates and locations TBA]
​
​Topics to include: 2020 Legislative Session, local government affairs efforts, Oregon restaurant wage survey, Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy, as well as local and regional issues.

If you'd like to host a meeting in your area, please contact Greg Astley, Director of Government Affairs, at Astley@OregonRLA.org or call 503.851.1330.