[April 9, 2021] - Updates from Your State Association 

ORLA Joins Business Community on Priorities for the American Rescue Plan Revenues - The $6 billion in federal aid expected by state and local governments in Oregon represents an unprecedented transfusion of cash that could prove transformational – if it is invested wisely. ORLA joins a coalition of business leaders urging the Governor and state leaders to consider the investments in three parts: 1) Near-term for programs that assist individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits still struggling financially; 2) Longer-term for substantial investments in carefully selected projects that will bolster our economic base and yield returns to Oregonians for decades to come, and 3) A contingency set-aside for unforeseen challenges in the next few years. Read the letter.

OLCC Approves “Floor Pricing" - Despite much testimony in opposition, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) approved a floor pricing proposal for distilled spirits which increases the price of the lowest priced spirits sold in Oregon liquor stores. ORLA joined other business groups affiliated with alcohol licensees testifying that floor pricing jeopardizes the hospitality industry’s fragile recovery. “Now is not the time to make it more difficult for bars and restaurants to do business and serve customers. Let’s build on the good will of the accomplishments of the past year,” said Greg Astley from the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association.

[April 5, 2021] - Vaccine Toolkit; Preparing Your Frontline Workers
​
Last week the Governor announced frontline workers (including all hospitality workers, as defined by the CDC) and their families are eligible for a vaccine starting April 5. We want to make sure you are aware of the resources available to help you communicate important information about vaccines to your workers, and to give them information about how to find locations and appointments. 

Here are some key resources to share with your employees:

• Register for a vaccination notification: Oregon COVID-19 Vaccine Locator
• Connect your staff to vaccine information: Frontline Worker Toolkit
• Pharmacy vaccine sites: How to find a COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon 

Find more resources and an Employer Toolkit on ORLA's COVID-19 Resources & Announcements page.

[April 1, 2021] - OSHA Permanent Rule Response from ORLA
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ORLA alongside other business groups has been actively engaged in the rulemaking process for workplace safety in Covid times and Oregon OSHA has been one of the more aggressive OSHA agencies across the country in trying to create new rules. Earlier today, ORLA submitted our response which is in line with ongoing coordination amongst other state business groups that have been actively engaged in the rulemaking process since the beginning of the year. Read the official ORLA response to the proposal to create a permanent COVID rule that would need to be adhered to by all workplaces for an undetermined amount of time.

[March 31, 2021] - Business Coalition Unites to Push for Changes to OSHA Rules
 
The Oregon Legislative Session continues but in the past few weeks there have been a few victories worth noting as we fight on the frontlines with other legislative bills that remain alive for consideration. On the good news front, House Bill 3296 which would have exponentially increased taxes on alcohol is no longer viable. The broader beverage alliance guarding against increased taxes at this time remains on watch for other proposals that could emerge. But for now, a special thanks to ORLA members and the broader beverage industry for impressive mobilization that helped derail the tax proposal.
 
In other news, a broad coalition of business associations have joined together in submitting the following response to Oregon OSHA’s proposed permanent rule relating to Covid. ORLA continues to be actively involved with other groups to make sure the permanent rule is rescinded at the conclusion of the state of emergency. The reason a permanent rule is even in the mix after the adoption of a temporary rule approximately 4 months ago is due to a state law making temporary rules active for a maximum of 180 days. Since the Covid health emergency has lasted well beyond the temporary timeframe, a permanent rule is being pursued but not without strong advocacy from business groups to make sure the permanent rule does in fact expire once the Covid health emergency in effect from Governor Brown is behind us.
 
Other important developments include a public hearing to bring more relief to our industry as well as others dealing with spiking unemployment insurance tax rates. ORLA will be actively engaged alongside our members for a public hearing scheduled for Thursday, April 1 at 1pm for House Bill 3389. The bill introduced in the past few weeks needs some stronger relief for hard hit industries like hospitality but the foundation of the bill is in good shape for potential amendments that could make a real difference for Oregon’s hospitality industry. ORLA will also be watching the progress of another bill we support – House Bill 3177 which is scheduled for a work session on Thursday, April 1 at 8am. Many of you took action on the bill which would put power back in the hands of Oregon’s legislature to determine appropriate economic sanctions for industries reeling from the economic impacts of Covid including foodservice and fitness establishments.

To see the latest activity on legislative bills, visit ORLA's Legislative Bill Tracking page.

​[March 18, 2021] - Oregon's UI Trust Fund Balance / Taxing Forgiven PPP Loans? / It's a Warning Week 

It’s a very busy week in the Oregon Legislature. Here are the latest updates overall at the association. A more detailed Advocacy Update will be sent to ORLA members soon from our Director of Government Affairs Greg Astley. As always reach out with any questions or comments.
 
Oregon’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund Balance
Recently the United States Chamber of Commerce pulled together the fund balances available to every state to pay unemployment insurance benefits. You might be surprised to hear like we were that Oregon has the best funded trust fund in the nation. This isn’t based on population or some per capita assessment. Take a look at the UI Trust Fund Comparison spreadsheet. My favorite new line to use is “After paying out benefits to unemployed Oregonians through all of 2020, Oregon still has more money in our trust fund right now compared to what California had before Covid even started.” So you may ask, why the egregious increase in our tax rates? We have the same question. ORLA, Oregon Business & Industry, NFIB, and other business partners are working together to solve this problem. 
 
Taxing Forgiven PPP Loans?
You heard that right. Some in the Oregon Legislature thought it would be a good idea to tax your PPP funds. Proposed amendments to House Bill 2457 would have amounted to a surprise tax bill on businesses across Oregon. Our friends at OBI and NFIB rallied the business community to quickly respond with this statement once the amendment was posted and a work session on the bill was cancelled this past Tuesday after the coalition submitted the attached opposition letter. We will keep a watchful eye on future attempts such as this before the legislature adjourns at the beginning of Summer.
 
It's a Warning Week
While more and more states move to new models of operation of at least 50% capacity statewide for restaurants, Oregon continues to hold on to its county by county risk assessment system. See the latest case counts from Monday’s county by county Oregon Health Authority County Risk Level report. The data that stands out to me in the document is as follows:

• Jackson County was able to keep their indoor dining open this week and next even though their case counts would have moved them back to an indoor dining shutdown. Jackson County was the first ‘extreme risk’ region of the state to benefit from the Governor’s new “2 week buffer” system whereby a county is given 2 more weeks to operate at their current level (Jackson had moved out of Extreme to High) before running the risk of moving back to a more restrictive risk category based on case counts. Jackson County in the attached report appears to be back towards a trajectory of staying at High Risk.
• Josephine County may be the next county to benefit from the “2 week buffer” – numbers there are tracking towards the ‘Extreme’ threshold but indoor dining would stay open even if Movement week data next week has them at an Extreme case count level. That would give Josephine County 2 more weeks to get their case counts down.
• A Tale of 2 Cities? It’s possible in next week’s Movement Week data that the City of Salem will have two different sets of restrictions for restaurants. Polk County (which includes West Salem) is on track to get to 50% capacity while Marion County (the rest of Salem) is on track to stay at 25%. 

[March 12, 2021] - It's a Movement Week; Latest ORLA Press Releases

President Biden’s news last night is a good sign that our vaccination timelines will be moving up and help clear the way for a steady increase in lodging and restaurant business later this spring. This news also assists us in our ambitious lineup of ORLA events: Virtual PAC fundraiser “Bid for a Better Industry” June 16-24), ORLA Open Golf Tournament July 26, Northwest Food Show August 1-2, Play it Fore-Ward for Hospitality August 24, and ORLA Hospitality Conference September 19-20. (View all ORLA events here)
 
Portland Tourism Improvement District - ORLA’s Portland Lodging Alliance in the past few months has been busy working on a number of challenges facing the Portland market while also deciding to move forward in support of a one percent increase in Portland’s Tourism Improvement District self-assessment. The Tourism Improvement District self-assessment will now be 3 percent instead of 2 percent and will continue to be overseen by a board of lodging operators for investments in lodging industry priorities. Although often reported as a tax increase, it is very different from a tax since all the funds raised are not shared for purposes outside tourism improvement. 100% of the 3 percent TID will continue to go towards tourism investments and should assist the Portland market in their rebound and by extension, Oregon overall. The increase was approved unanimously by the Portland Lodging Alliance group within ORLA. Mike Daley, who serves a dual role on the ORLA Board while also serving as Chair of the Travel Portland Board of Directors has been working incredibly hard in his volunteer roles during a crazy year for the lodging industry. We thank him for keeping the lines of communication open and for facilitating conversations amongst lodging operators so we can plan out our approach to getting things back on track.
 
It's a Movement Week - Earlier this week, Governor Kate Brown announced the latest round of county movements which directly impact the way in which our members and the industry can operate their businesses. As of today, we have 13 counties in Low Risk (50% indoor capacity for restaurants with no ‘total person cap’ limits and midnight closing time / 50% capacity for indoor pools/hot tubs), 12 counties at Moderate Risk (50% indoor capacity for restaurants or 100 total people indoors including staff, whichever is less and still 11pm closing time / 50% capacity for indoor pools/hot tubs or 100 total people, whichever is less), 9 counties at High Risk (25% indoor capacity for restaurants or 50 people total including staff, whichever is less and 11pm closing time / 25% capacity for indoor pools/hot tubs or 50 people total, whichever is less), and 2 counties still in Extreme Risk (no indoor dining capacity, outdoor seating only if available to the restaurant / no more than 6 people total for indoor pool/hot tub use at a time).
 
View the latest Google Doc showing all the County Risk Level movement. As a refresher, view the Sector Risk Level Guidance chart which details all the business restrictions in the 4 risk categories.
 
Latest ORLA Press Releases - This week, ORLA released two press releases. One on industry workforce shortages and one on our desire to see an elimination of the ‘total person caps’ in our risk categories. We are still averaging about 6-12 media engagements per week. Engagements vary depending on the level of interest in the media for a particular theme. As many of you can probably relate to, we had a significant response to our workforce shortage query out to the ORLA membership.

• You can view our press release on workforce shortage here with the many quotes ORLA was authorized to share with the media and public about workforce challenges through the following link. 
• You can view our press release on total person caps here.

Weekly Advocacy Updates - A special thanks to our Government Affairs Co-Chairs TJ Birkel and Nick Pearson for their ongoing leadership of ORLA’s Government Affairs Committee. Greg Astley, ORLA’s Director of Government Affairs and Bill Perry, ORLA’s contract lobbyist continue to work with our Co-Chairs to hold weekly check-in meetings for interested Government Affairs Committee members on the status of the Oregon Legislative Session. In addition, ORLA is increasing the frequency of our advocacy updates on top of our ongoing bill tracking capability so interested members can keep tabs on the flow of the session.

• You can see last Friday’s Advocacy Update here. If you aren’t receiving the Advocacy Updates, please let me know so we can get you added to the list.
• You can view ORLA’s bill tracking system online here at any time: ​OregonRLA.org/legislativeframework.

As always, please reach out to us with any questions.

[March 8, 2021] - American Rescue Plan Passes: Win for Hospitality!

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, including the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), is being sent to President Biden for a signature. Passage of this bill represents an enormous win for the hospitality industry and comes after much collaboration and continued pressure from our national affiliates including the National Restaurant Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and Asian American Hotel Owners Association. ORLA has been working with our national partners to mobilize industry members and contribute to a collective voice on industry-specific assistance needed from the start of the pandemic.

The American Rescue Plan bill includes significant assistance and provisions including:

• Newly increased Restaurant Revitalization Fund ($28.6 billion);
• An additional $15 billion to support the hardest hit small businesses including Travel and Tourism;
• $7.5 billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding; 
• $160 billion to fight the pandemic and vaccinate individuals; and
• An extension of the employee retention tax credit.

Read more about the American Rescue Plan.

​[Click the "Read More" link for archived blog updates]

A Total of 31 of Oregon’s 36 Counties Are Open for Indoor Dining as of Friday
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2021

Contact:
Jason Brandt, President & CEO, ORLA
503.302.5060 | JBrandt@OregonRLA.org

Featured Industry Operator:
John Barofsky, Co-Owner, Beppe & Gianni’s
541.517.5027 | Laperlapizzeria@live.com

Wilsonville, OR– Oregon counties are on the move again with an announcement today by Governor Brown’s office lowering extreme risk levels for 10 counties which allows restaurants in those regions to open for indoor dining on Friday, February 26.

“Oregon’s remaining metro areas surrounding the Salem area, Eugene area, and Medford area will be joining Portland Metro and the Bend area in bringing back indoor dining Friday,” said Jason Brandt, President & CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “Our operators are gearing up as we speak to make sure safety remains our number one priority for both industry employees and customers indoors. We are committed to doing this right to make employees and guests as comfortable as possible in bringing hospitality back to more of Oregon’s local economies.”

The news today means approximately 91 percent of Oregonians will now have access to indoor dining in the county where they live. About 9 percent, or close to 386,000 Oregonians, still live in a county limited to take out, delivery, and outdoor dining options. Counties designated as extreme risk include Benton, Coos, Douglas, Jefferson, and Josephine counties.

“We are happy to hear we have the opportunity to return to our business model which has always been reliant on full-service dining,” said John Barofsky, Co-Owner of Beppe & Gianni’s Trattoria in Lane County. “We have tried hard to keep most of our employees on the payroll throughout the pandemic but have had to cut hours to make that happen. Today’s news will allow us to increase the hours available to our workers by about 30 percent now that we have indoor dining coming back online.”

Barofsky and other operators across the state remain leery about the duration of time they will be allowed to continue indoor dining operations. For example, some operators in Portland chose not to open on Friday, February 12 even though they were given the green light to proceed. The two issues cited most frequently in deciding to stay closed indoors were the challenges in recruiting workers to return to work and the uncertainty indoor operations will remain open as of Friday, February 26. The open/close structure does little to assist hard hit restaurants with planning efforts that could help their employees pay their monthly bills and avoid permanent business closures. Today’s announcement confirms that all counties previously allowed to open indoor dining on February 12 will be able to continue indoor operations with the one exception in Douglas County. 

“Some helpful news also included in today’s announcement is the number of restaurants that will be able to move to 50% indoor capacity from 25%,” said Brandt. “25% capacity is a real challenge for operators with smaller amounts of square footage in their business. Washington and Clackamas counties for example, are moving to moderate risk levels which means restaurants can move up to 50% indoor capacity or 100 total people indoors including staff, whichever is smaller. In addition, outdoor dining capacity in moderate risk counties moves up to 150 people.”

Restaurants who continue to operate in high risk counties including Multnomah will be limited to 25% indoor capacity or 50 people total including staff indoors, whichever is smaller. Outdoor dining capacity expands slightly as well in the high risk category and allows for 75 people total outdoors compared to the 50-person limit in the extreme category. 

Oregon also has 3 new counties in the lowest risk category. Wasco, Lincoln, and Clatsop counties which can open at 50% capacity with no limitations on total number of people. In addition, restaurants in low risk counties can have as many as 300 people outdoors and stay open until midnight instead of 11pm like the other three risk categories.

For more information on the efforts of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association please visit OregonRLA.org. 

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The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is the leading business association for the foodservice and lodging industry in Oregon, which before COVID-19 provided over 180,000 paychecks to working Oregonians. According to the Oregon Employment Department’s December data, over 50,000 Oregonians that once had a job in hospitality do not have work available to return to.

A new law signed in late December 2020 makes hospitality businesses eligible for an employee retention tax credit, even if they received a PPP loan. Now, for any calendar quarter between March 13 and Dec. 31, 2020, a restaurant with 100 or fewer full-time employees may be able to access the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) of up to $5,000 per employee.

And, for the first two quarters of 2021, Jan. 1–March 31, and April 1–June 30, businesses with 500 or fewer full-time employees may be able to access ERTC of up to $7,000 per employee per quarter. 

Read more from the National Restaurant Association: Big tax credits to restaurants could support employee retention

FAQ on the Employee Retention Credit
(The following information provided by Cross Financial)

The eligibility criteria outlined below is referring to the Employee Retention Credit as it is revised in Bill HR 133, Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, signed December 27, 2020. This went into affect January 1, 2021 and ends June 30, 2021. 

While the IRS has yet to update their webpages on the ERC, the changes outlined in the bill are as follows: 

• Expanded eligibility for the credit by reducing the required year-over-year gross receipts decline from 50 percent to 20 percent and provides a safe harbor allowing employers to use prior quarter gross receipts to determine eligibility;
• Increases the 100-employee delineation for determining the relevant qualified wage base to employers with 500 or fewer employees;
• Removes the 30-day wage limitation, allowing employers to, for example, claim the credit for bonus pay to essential workers;
• Clarifies that group health plan expenses can be considered qualified wages even when no other wages are paid to the employee, consistent with IRS guidance
• Provides that employers who receive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans may still qualify for the ERC with respect to wages that are not paid for with forgiven PPP proceeds.

Employers need to make sure they do not claim wages that were used for family leave, PPP or other Cares act related credits. In other words, no double dipping.

Employee Retention Credit 2020 (ended Dec 31, 2020)
An employer with one employee making $12,000 within a quarter would be permitted to use 50% of $10,000 so the max annual employee limit of $5,000 against applicable employment taxes, if there was not enough taxes to offset against, a refund would be calculated at the time of filing form 941, or a refund can be requested earlier by filing form 7200.

1 Employee x $12,000 in quarterly wages = $12,000
$12,000 - $10,000 (max qualifying wage amount) = $10,000
$10,000 x 50% (eligible credit percentage)  = $5,000 employee retention credit (ERC)
$5,000 in ERC - $ (employment taxes) = Refund amount if credit exceeds employment taxes for the quarter.

Employee Retention Credit 2021 (ends June 30, 2021)
The Employee Retention Credit as it is revised in Bill HR 133, Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, signed December 27, 2020 outlines updates for the calculation of the ERC. This went into affect January 1, 2021 and ends June 30, 2021. 

An employer with one employee making $12,000 within a quarter would be permitted to use 70% of $10,000 so the max quarterly employee limit of $7,000 against applicable employment taxes. If there is not enough taxes to offset against, a refund would be calculated at the time of filing form 941, or a refund can be requested earlier by filing form 7200.

1 Employee x $12,000 in quarterly wages = $12,000
$12,000 - $10,000 (max qualifying wage amount) = $10,000
$10,000 x 70% (eligible credit percentage for Q1)  = $7,000 employee retention credit (ERC)
$7,000 in ERC - $ (employment taxes) = Refund amount if credit exceeds employment taxes for the quarter.

A Total of 22 of Oregon’s 36 Counties Open for Indoor Dining Friday 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2021

Contact:
Jason Brandt, President & CEO, ORLA
503.302.5060 | JBrandt@OregonRLA.org

Industry Operator | Dixie Tavern Access:
Dan Lenzen, Co-Owner of Dixie Tavern
503.516.5249 | danl@venturehre.com

Wilsonville, OR– Hundreds of Oregon restaurants will open their doors to indoor dining starting Friday, February 12 as case counts per 100,000 residents drop below the coveted 200 case mark over the course of the previous two weeks in specific counties. As industry suppliers and restaurant owners scramble to safely open for indoor dining, 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,” said Jason Brandt, President & CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “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.”

Opening and closing 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.

“It is our job to be there for our workers and we will be doing our best to explain the uncertainty surrounding future work schedules,” said Dan Lenzen, Co-Owner of Dixie Tavern in Portland. “I hope our ability to open indoors represents a turning point allowing us to be open longer than two weeks. To stay in business, we need the ability to safely use some of the space inside our restaurant consistently and provide the jobs that go along with it.”

February 12 appears to represent a key marker in the fight to mitigate virus spread as most Oregonians will now have indoor dining back as an option in their community for the first time in months. Still, restaurant operators in 14 counties continue to rely on Payroll Protection Program funds, limited outdoor operations if available, and takeout/delivery to scrape by. Approximately 38 percent of Oregonians still live in a county where indoor dining is not currently available.

“We continue to be faced with incredible headwinds in the restaurant industry with the ban on indoor dining in Marion County,” said Conrad Venti, Co-Owner of Venti’s Taphouse and Basement Bar. “Every change we have managed as a company has impacted our employees just as much. We have permanently lost several long-term employees, including management, who have chosen to move on to other industries because of the complete instability and continuous changes we’ve had to face in the last year.”

“With recent numbers trending in the right direction I was hopeful we would be inviting our guests and community back in to dine with us, and bringing employees back to work,” said Kevin Boyles, Co-Owner of Sassy Onion Restaurant in Salem. “Being in the extreme risk category while most of the state reopens is even more frustrating knowing my long time customers are able to make a small trip and enjoy a dining experience elsewhere, while my business continues to suffer.”

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. 

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The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is the leading business association for the foodservice and lodging industry in Oregon, which before COVID-19 provided over 180,000 paychecks to working Oregonians. According to the Oregon Employment Department’s December data, over 50,000 Oregonians that once had a job in hospitality do not have work available to return to.

Changes to the Payroll Protection Program will assist with Oregon’s industry survival rate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 29, 2021

Contact:
Jason Brandt, President & CEO, ORLA
503.302.5060 | JBrandt@OregonRLA.org

Featured Industry Operator | On-Site Access:
Shannon McMenamin, McMenamins
503.804.3556 | Shannonm@mcmenamins.com

Wilsonville, OR– Applications continue to be submitted in real time for the next round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) dollars available to Oregon hospitality operators through the passage of the federal government’s $908 billion Coronavirus relief package.

“The changes negotiated on behalf of our nation’s hospitality industry are considerable and will directly assist small businesses in their push to survive the prolonged nature of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Jason Brandt, President & CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “Oregon’s hospitality businesses have been applying at a feverish pitch for the program in partnership with their lending institution and the benefits of round two are considerably better compared to the benefits of round one.”

A number of boosts from the federal government should make a considerable difference in the number of hospitality businesses able to hold on–although hundreds if not more are still expected to permanently close their doors in Oregon alone.

Recent benefits secured include:

• Tax deductibility for the first and second round of Payroll Protection Program dollars
• Access to a PPP loan equating to 3.5 times your monthly payroll levels back in 2019 if you are operating a hospitality business 
• Utilization of PPP dollars for perishable food expenses and 
• The ability to utilize the funds over a 24-week period

“Local, family-owned businesses like us (McMenamins), that have grown up here in Oregon will find it increasingly difficult to stay afloat if the current relief measures are not combined with more sustainable operations,” said Shannon McMenamin who helps lead the family business of pubs, breweries and historic hotels.  “We are incredibly limited in what we can do to keep our people employed in an unpredictable environment without more flexibility from Governor Brown and her professional staff.  I know we can provide some indoor dining safely right now.”

Brandt echoed the call for more sustainable options for the hospitality industry as the state association continues fielding calls from small businesses across the state in need of more flexibility.

“Outside of PPP support the industry in Oregon continues to have considerable concerns about the path back to sustainable operations,” said Brandt. “PPP will help a significant number of small businesses fight through the coming months, but the importance of effective and efficient vaccine distribution can’t be overstated. It’s the key ingredient to helping propel statewide consumer demand and we remain hopeful that pent up demand will be our new best friend.”

For more information on the efforts of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association please visit OregonRLA.org. 

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The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is the leading business association for the foodservice and lodging industry in Oregon, which before COVID-19 provided over 180,000 paychecks to working Oregonians. According to the Oregon Employment Department’s December data, over 50,000 Oregonians that once had a job in hospitality do not have work available to return to.

Data assessment shows a lack of correlation between economic sanctions and virus mitigation 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2021

Contact: 
Jason Brandt, President & CEO, ORLA
503.302.5060 | JBrandt@OregonRLA.org

Featured Industry Operator / On-Site Access:
Treva Gambs, Gamberetti’s Italian Restaurants
503.881.5761 | Treva@gamberettis.com

Wilsonville, OR– Oregon’s restaurant and lodging industries continue to suffer greatly according to the latest data made available by the Oregon Employment Department. Leisure and hospitality businesses lost 25,500 jobs in December. An announcement today from the Governor’s office is welcome news for lottery retailers, restaurant operators with functional outdoor dining space, and Oregon’s lodging industry eager to bring amenities including indoor pools and hot tubs back online for their guests. Still, thousands of restaurant operators are not assisted by these helpful modifications if they are not lottery retailers and lack available space for outdoor dining options.

“Oregonians in our industry can’t pay their monthly bills with two weeks of employment certainty at a time,” said Jason Brandt, President & CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “The reality of the 2-week county risk category assessments is taking us down a dangerous path where tens of thousands of Oregonians no longer have paychecks again. The lack of continuity in operations is permanently altering too many Oregonian livelihoods. We must open some indoor dining statewide now, and we can do it safely.”

Oregon’s aggressive economic restrictions on one of the state’s largest private sector employers continues to lack data to substantiate the disproportionate sacrifices being endured by these small business operators. According to weekly reports by the Oregon Health Authority and a declaration from Dr. Dean Sidelinger in federal district court, Oregon’s foodservice industry accounts for less than 1 percent of all workplace outbreaks and 4.7 percent of Oregon’s overall outbreaks, respectively. Yet, Oregon’s foodservice operations continue to be shut down in the vast majority of the state.

“It doesn’t make sense to me how I can have all this space to safely spread out my customers in my restaurant and have the government continue to tell me I can’t use it when I know I can do it safely,” said Treva Gambs, owner of Gamberetti’s Italian Restaurants in Salem and Albany. “The discrimination we are facing is keeping me from taking care of my employees and my customers in ways that can really help our communities get through an emotional and depressing time.”

A recent analysis of December data on the status of restaurant closures across states with mask mandates shows no correlation between the number of cases and deaths and the decisions to close indoor dining. The chart below illustrates the lack of connectivity. In addition, the year 2020 included multiple press conferences highlighting the lack of data to close foodservice operations across Oregon. Governor Brown and Dr. Dean Sidelinger shared comments in press conferences on multiple occasions acknowledging the lack of connectivity to the hospitality industry during periods of the year where hospitality businesses remained open and case counts remained low.

ORLA in the News with U.S. Department of Labor Final Rule on Tip Pooling
A final rule on tip pooling in the United States was recently released on December 22, 2020 and will go into effect across the country on February 20, 2021. The final rule further establishes the legality of overseeing and managing a tip pool that includes staff who do not customarily and regularly receive tips by directly interfacing with a customer. Managers and supervisors are still prohibited from participating in tip pools. The final rule does define further, explaining as follows:
 
“...the final rule defines a manager or supervisor for purposes of section 3(m)(2)(B) as any employee (1) whose primary duty is managing the enterprise or a customarily recognized department or subdivision of the enterprise; (2) who customarily and regularly directs the work of at least two or more other full-time employees or their equivalent; and (3) who has the authority to hire or fire other employees, or whose suggestions and recommendations as to the hiring or firing are given particular weight. The definition also includes as managers or supervisors any individuals who own at least a bona fide 20 percent equity interest in the enterprise in which they are employed and who are actively engaged in its management.”
 
The one exception to this rule is “a manager or supervisor may keep tips that he or she receives directly from customers based on the service that he or she directly provides.”
 
In summary, the final rule simply codifies our collective win advocating for the importance of tip pools. Pages 11 and 12 of the Rule states:
 
“In 2016, a divided Ninth Circuit panel upheld the validity of the 2011 regulations. See Oregon Rest. & Lodging Ass’n (ORLA) v. Perez, 816 F.3d 1080, 1090 (9th Cir. 2016). Although the Ninth Circuit declined en banc review of the decision, ten judges dissented on the ground that the FLSA authorized the Department to address tip pooling and tip retention only when an employer takes a tip credit. The dissent noted that the Ninth Circuit itself had decided in Cumbie that the FLSA ‘clearly and unambiguously permits employers who forgo a tip credit to arrange their tip-pooling affairs however they see fit.’ … In its 2018 response to the petition for a writ of certiorari in the ORLA case, the government explained that the Department had reconsidered its defense of the 2011 regulations in light of the Ninth Circuit’s ten-judge dissent from denial of rehearing in ORLA and the Tenth Circuit’s decision in Marlow … the Department published in December 2017 an NPRM that proposed to rescind the challenged portions of the regulations.”
 
The actual regulation and a summary of the final rule can be found here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/flsa/tips.

Restaurant Employee Compensation Tools
With tip pooling being legal with back of the house employees, employers may have questions about what their options are. ORLA launched a Restaurant Compensation Solutions Workgroup to review tools being implemented in restaurant operations across the state, including mandatory service charges, tip pooling policies based on sales that assist in compensating kitchen staff, and dual tip lines notating tip options for both servers and kitchen staff. 

Tip pooling policies should be carefully reviewed with counsel before implementation to ensure compliance with all applicable requirements. For more on this subject, click the links below.

• Tip Pooling/Compensation Solutions (ORLA members only; login required)
• Download ORLA's Tip Pooling Information Sheet 
• NRA Webinar: Tipped Employees and Side Work Under the FLSA

Update: December 2019
​
​A federal spending bill passed in 2018 abolished a 2011 regulation prohibiting tip pooling; managers can now require that servers share tips with kitchen staff in states where employers do not take a tip credit. This change allows tip sharing among both customarily and non-customarily tipped employees in Oregon, including dishwashers and cooks. Managers, supervisors, and owners cannot participate in the tip sharing. A proposed rule to implement the change has been released as of October 7, 2019; comments were due by December 9, 2019. 

One thing this proposed rule seeks to address is that the words “supervisor” and “manager” were not defined in the 2018 spending bill. This is especially important to our industry since many have hybrid approaches to their service positions. Supervisors and managers in some of Oregon’s smallest restaurant operations commonly serve guests and have participated in front-of-the-house tip pools as a part of a team approach to foodservice.

Employers are to use the “duties test” to determine who qualifies as a supervisor or manager, and establish tip pool eligibility. Essentially, if an employee’s primary or regular duty is not management or supervising, they are still allowed to participate in a tip pool. For details on the standard of the “duties test,” read the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Field Assistance Bulletin. 

Prior to this change, the decision to participate in a tip pool was left to employees. For more context on the issue, check out Tipping the Scales (Oregon Business, April 2018). The Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) FAQ may answer any additional questions regarding tips at Oregon.gov/BOLI.

​News/Resources:

• Final Rule: Tip Regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), U.S. DOL, Dec. 2020
• Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• U.S. Department of Labor Issues Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Tipped Employees, U.S. DOL, Oct. 2019
• WHD Field Assistance Bulletin 2018-3, U.S. Department of Labor, April 2018
• Service Charge Guidance, ORLA, 2019 
• Tip Pooling With Back-Of-House Is IN (in Most States); Manager and Supervisor Tip-Sharing Is OUT, Davis Wright Tremaine, April 2018
• Tip Pool Victory Bridges Heart-Of-House Wage Gap in Restaurant Industry, ORLA, March 2018

For additional questions, contact Greg Astley, Director of Government Affairs, at 503.682.4422.

This is for general informational purposes only. The information is not, and should not be relied upon or regarded as, legal advice. Please consult with your legal advisors.

​International Society of Hotel Associations Honors ORLA and Portland Lodging Alliance with 2020 Award of Excellence

​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 23, 2020
Contact: 
Christina Pappas | 1-617-536-0590    

BOSTON, MA - The International Society of Hotel Associations (ISHA) announced its Awards of Excellence, honoring the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association and Portland Lodging Alliance for their Hospitality with Heart downtown cleanup events. 

In September 2020, ORLA’s Portland Lodging Alliance teamed up with SOLVE Oregon, the Portland Business Alliance, Clean & Safe, Travel Portland, and the City of Portland for the 2nd annual Hospitality with Heart litter cleanup event, bringing over 500 volunteers and community members together to improve the wellbeing of our city. Since then, the Portland Lodging Alliance has been helping coordinate monthly cleanup events. 

The ISHA Awards of Excellence recognizes those lodging associations who have had exceptional programs in the areas of Communications, Events and Fundraising, Government Affairs, Member Programs and Public Relations over the past year.  

The Awards of Excellence winners include:

• Communications - Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association for their COVID-19 Crisis Communications
• Events & Fundraising - Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association for Hospitality with Heart, A Downtown Portland Cleanup Effort
• Government Affairs - Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association for their Safe Meetings Media Event to Restore Illinois!
• Member Programs - Texas Hotel & Lodging Association for their Membership Town Halls
• Public Relations - Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association for their Illinois Emergency Grant Program
• Circle of Excellence Award - California Hotel & Lodging Association for their extensive and integrated programs addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, including: Project RoomKey, COVID-19 Resource Page, COVID-19 Hotel Plan and Clean & Safe program, among others. 

“ISHA is pleased to recognize these six award winners,” stated Christina Pappas, Executive Director of ISHA. “While the majority of the programs focus on pandemic response to members and the industry, these programs truly help set the standard for others to follow.”

ISHA presents the annual Awards of Excellence for the best lodging association programs and services and are widely recognized as the best of the best within the hotel and lodging association industry representing innovation and creativity that has brought tangible results to the association and its members. Award winners receive complimentary registration to a future ISHA Conference.

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ISHA provides professional development and networking opportunities for lodging associations, and represents the unified voice of state lodging associations in collaboration with our national industry partners. For more information visit www.isha.biz.

Confidential, No-Cost Advisor Network Made Possible by Coronavirus Relief Funds

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 18, 2020

Contact:
Terry Hopkins, Regional Representative, ORLA
541.441.2219 | THopkins@OregonRLA.org
​
Wilsonville, OR– The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) and Oregon’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network are pleased to announce the launch of a new, no-cost, one on one confidential advisor network. The Oregon Restaurant Covid Assistance Program includes a network of seven professional restaurant consultants ready to assist industry operators with ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic.

“We feel a strong sense of urgency to build program awareness now as independent restaurant operators wrestle with what comes next,” said Terry Hopkins, Regional Representative for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “It is time for operators to engage in an exercise of humility because no one is bigger than COVID-19 and every single operator can benefit from an additional expert perspective.”  

Focal areas for advisor support were determined by a mass survey of restaurant operators earlier this fall. Results from survey feedback resulted in the following core areas of concentration:

• Marketing and Customer Relations
• Financial Operations and Analysis
• Menu Planning
• Human Resources and Employee Management
• Loyalty Programs
• Online Sales and Take-Out Service
• Site Management and Lease/Landlord Negotiations
• Front/Back of House Operations
• Social Media
• Point of Sale Systems
• Coping with COVID-19

Advisors are standing by to engage in confidential consulting conversations and are paid through SBA CARES Act relief funds authorized by the Emergency Board of the Oregon Legislature. Restaurants operators participating in the program will incur no cost for services rendered.

“It was incredibly important to us to prop up a program that allows operators to sign up in less than 5 minutes to access these free top-tier consulting services,” said Hopkins. “We know this will prove to be a unique opportunity for restaurant operators who choose to take a leap of faith and engage an advisor. We can save independent restaurants in this state by sharing expertise and resources that assist our small businesses in finding a path forward.”
​
To sign up for advisor connectivity and to review the list of participating advisors, visit: Oregonsbdc.org/orca.

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The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is the leading business association for the foodservice and lodging industry in Oregon, which before COVID-19 provided over 180,000 paychecks to working Oregonians. Currently, approximately 55,000 of those workers, or 30%, do not have work available to return to.

The Oregon Small Business Development Centers work in partnership with the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association in providing vital assistance to Oregon's restaurants.

Industry Seeks Solutions Beyond Shutting Down, Putting People Out of Work

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 13, 2020

Contact:
Jason Brandt, President & CEO, ORLA
503.302.5060 | JBrandt@OregonRLA.org

Wilsonville, OR– Today, the Oregon Governor’s office announced further restrictions on restaurants statewide beyond the previous two-week “pause.” The restrictions are being announced one week after the “pause” was announced and just two days after it went into effect.

The restrictions take effect Wednesday, November 18th and prohibit dining indoors or outdoors at any bar or restaurant. Drive-thru, takeout, delivery and curbside pickup will still be allowed. 

“Knowing small social gatherings are the focal point for the transmission of this virus, it is incredibly disappointing to see our industry once again targeted and to know bar and restaurant operators are having their employees’ and their own livelihoods put at risk,” said Jason Brandt, President & CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “We continue to be asked to make significant sacrifices as an industry due to the nature of our business models.

The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) is recommending several solutions to help the hospitality industry survive. Those solutions include:

• Creation of a $75 million Hospitality Relief Fund to help restaurants, bars, breweries, cideries, lodging properties and other hospitality related businesses survive
• Waiving or significantly discounting fees including but not limited to business licenses, corporate filing, health inspection fees and OLCC on-premises license fees to make up for the fact the businesses are not able to fully operate
• Extension of the Commercial Eviction Moratorium

“We were already hearing from members they were concerned about what another shutdown would do to their chances of staying open,” said Brandt. “This latest round of regulations focused on restaurants will trigger an unknown amount of permanent closures impacting the livelihoods of thousands of Oregon families.”

In addition, ORLA is recommending these solutions to help stop the spread of the disease further:

• Implement a comprehensive, “Stay Home, Save Lives” public affairs campaign from the Governor and the state 
• Develop a comprehensive testing plan to increase rapid testing and contact tracing statewide
• Convene a Task Force to address social and community spread
• Establish a reconfigured Economic Advisory Panel to address continued COVID needs
• Early establishment of a comprehensive vaccine distribution plan

Oregon’s business community is sending the following letter to Governor Brown’s office in response to the latest round of restrictions.

“Businesses throughout Oregon have proven that they can make the operational changes necessary to keep their employees and their customers safe, even during this unprecedented pandemic. What we need now is a plan to address the root of the problem without causing additional harm to Oregonians throughout the state,” said Brandt. 

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The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is the leading business association for the foodservice and lodging industry in Oregon, which is comprised of approximately 10,000 foodservice locations and 2,000 lodging establishments with a workforce prior to COVID of 183,191. 

Hospitality and Tourism Professionals to Embark on Experiences of a Lifetime

Wilsonville, OR – In partnership with Travel Oregon and the Oregon Destination Association, the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) is proud to announce the launch of Year 2 for the Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy (OTLA). Participants will begin their first multi-day program experience in Eastern Oregon, April 28-30, 2021, pursuing in-depth experiences and knowledge that will elevate their passion and excitement for our state’s extraordinary offerings. The deadline to apply for the class launching in 2021 is Friday, December 4, 2020.

“Much has changed in our world since the inception of the program and we're seeing incredible things happen with the current program participants who are half way through the inaugural year experience," said Jason Brandt, President & CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. "The value of program experiences and professional connectivity created by the program will provide lasting benefits to those accepted to the program each year.”

OTLA has spent great deal of time and attention into keeping all participants safe in the age of COVID-19 and are committed to refining all logistics and experiences each year to protect the integrity of the program and the value it brings to those involved.

The Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy is a new experiential learning program targeted to tourism professionals seeking to polish their leadership and professional skills and make positive and lasting contributions to the state’s tourism economy. An advisory committee of tourism industry representatives helped shape the development of the program through a shared vision of cultivating stronger champions for Oregon's tourism industry. The program consists of four multi-day excursions to be completed over the course of a year.

ORLA has been intentional in its pursuit of activating industry champions and the OTLA program supports that goal. The academy provides a compounding benefit of bringing people together for learning through experiences and empowering them to make lasting contributions to Oregon’s tourism and hospitality industries. Participants will create lifelong relationships and networking pathways through their connections.

For more information on the Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy, visit OregonRLA.org/OTLA.

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The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is the leading business association for the foodservice and lodging industry in Oregon, which is comprised of over 10,220 foodservice locations and 2,000 lodging establishments with a workforce of 183,191, and a total economic impact of $13.8 billion in annual sales for Oregon. 

Today SAIF announced ORLA/SAIF partners are receiving $299,813 in dividends from SAIF for their 2019 policy period. These dividends are being paid to members this week. While dividends cannot be guaranteed and are declared at the discretion by SAIF’s Board of Directors, this clearly represents another advantage of being part of the ORLA/SAIF program. 

“Our partnership with SAIF Corporation over the past 3 years is assisting the hospitality industry in our continual pursuit of top tier safety for hard working employees across this state,” said Jason Brandt, President & CEO of ORLA. “Being a part of the ORLA/SAIF group is a no brainer when you add the potential for dividend payments each policy year to the group discount operators receive when they qualify for the program. We look forward to the ongoing partnership with SAIF Corporation as industry operators work to save every penny they can.”

ORLA’s endorsed service partnership with SAIF gives eligible ORLA members a workers’ compensation group discount that is validated by NCCI and approved by DCBS. As the restaurant and lodging industries face some of the most difficult workplace safety challenges, this partnership aims to reduce worker injuries and improve member’s safety programs. 

During the pandemic, SAIF has remained open for business, serving Oregon's employers and workers. This has included taking steps to help injured workers who faced challenges accessing care and working to reduce the financial burden on businesses.  

Ask your agent for an ORLA Group quote or contact SAIF directly at 888.598.5880.

About SAIF
SAIF is Oregon's not-for-profit workers' compensation insurance company. For more than 100 years, we've been taking care of injured workers, helping people get back to work, and striving to make Oregon the safest and healthiest place to work. For more information, visit the About SAIF page on saif.com.

PORTLAND - SEPTEMBER 30
​Earlier this month, over 500 volunteers came together to clean up downtown Portland and now there's another cleanup event planned for September 30th. This is another opportunity for the hospitality industry to show our community what we are capable of on behalf of our City, our businesses and our employees.

Join the Portland Lodging Alliance, ORLA staff, SOLVE, Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, Schlesinger Companies, and the Portland Business Alliance for a Downtown Litter Cleanup Day! We'll be meeting at parks and businesses throughout downtown, giving each check-in location ample space to clean and improve. All cleanup supplies will be provided. 

Wednesday, September 30, 2020
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM Check-in (runs until 11:30 am)
Portland - different locations

There will be several starting locations in Portland including: The Benson Hotel, South Park Blocks, Salmon St. Springs, and I-405 Corridor. Pre-registration is required to ensure staggered start times for social distancing and for equipment pick-up.
​

LINCOLN CITY - OCTOBER 9
It has been amazing to see everyone come together in support of the community during both the pandemic and now these horrendous fires. The goodwill towards helping each other is a tremendous lift as we continue to fight through these challenges. One opportunity where we can help the coast community is the Lincoln City Hospitality Beach Clean-Up, an event ORLA organized with the help of SOLVE Oregon. This community-building event will showcase once again the love and support we have for Lincoln City.

Friday, October 9th, 2020
10:00 am -12:00 pm
D River Wayside in Lincoln City

Understanding the staffing issues you may face, having at least one member from your team participate would be outstanding and greatly appreciated. Please also share this information with others in the community, as we encourage your colleagues, family and friends to join us. ​Thank you!

FEMA REQUESTS SHELTERING OPPORTUNITIES

The State of Oregon is experiencing some of the most unprecedented emergencies to date affecting thousands of people throughout the region. As people are forced to evacuate their homes, the State of Oregon is committed to finding non-congregate sheltering and assistance for evacuees. In partnership with the American Red Cross, State and Federal agencies to better coordinate efforts we are asking for your help to lodge evacuees in the short term. Your local Destination Management Organization (DMO)/Convention or Visitor Bureau/Chamber of Commerce will be calling you soon to collect lodging data on a regular basis. They will be asking lodging properties for the following:

• Name of the lodging facility
• Location and contact information   
• Total occupancy ability of the lodging facility
• Current vacancy rate percentage of the lodging facility  
• Is your lodging facility family and pet friendly?
• Is the lodging facility able to provide extended lodging for evacuees who may have lost their residence in the recent disaster?

 
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Matt Finn at Travel Oregon. Are you already providing lodging to evacuees? See below information to share with them.
 
There may also be a need for long term lodging for evacuees. If you are a lodging facility that can help the people of Oregon’s recent disasters, please register in the FEMA Emergency Lodging Assistance (ELA) Portal.  Registration not only allows FEMA to easily locate your facility but also enables the agency to provide reimbursement for housing of evacuees. On this site, businesses providing lodging can find program FAQs, a user guide, and other information to clarify program requirements.

​Please note that the Oregon Department of Revenue will not be collecting lodging taxes for rooms using either FEMA transition shelter assistance or Red Cross hotel vouchers due to wildfire displacement. We expect that local jurisdictions in Oregon will adopt the same practice.

If local transient lodging taxes do not need to be collected, depending on your local jurisdiction these room rents may still need to be reported with all other rents on any transient lodging tax reports you may fill out. However, those rents paid with vouchers would be deducted. Please check with your local government on this subject.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR DISASTER SURVIVORS & BUSINESSES AFFECTED BY WILDFIRES

General information:

• Oregon Wildfire Disaster Page for latest FEMA assistance updates
• FEMA Mitigation Publications (information on Office of Emergency Management, American Red Cross, CDC recommendations, post-wildfire recovery, prevention/preparation for wildfires, flooding)
  

FEMA's highest priority right now is ensuring disaster survivors understand there are services available and the first step is getting registered. FEMA is asking if our lodging partners, especially those currently lodging evacuees, are willing to distribute the following attachments:

• FEMA Registration Flyer (English & Spanish)
• Start Your Recovery Process
• 4 Ways to Apply for Disaster Aid
• 3 Ways to Apply for Disaster Aid
• Disaster Assistance Info (gif)
• (NEW) Replacing Lost or Missing Documents (English / Spanish)

Please consider printing the flyer for display and have copies on hand for individuals. Also, it would be very helpful and appreciated if lodging partners could post one, or all of the attached graphics on their social medial accounts to help get the message out.   
 
See also some important information for those working to recover from the fires:

• Citizenship and Immigration Status Requirements for FEMA Disaster Assistance - (English / Spanish)
• You May Be Able to Get Disaster Assistance (Qualified Aliens) - (English / Spanish)

The goal is to amplify the messaging to both lodging entities AND victims affected by the recent disasters to ensure they are registered with FEMA to get assistance. 

For more wildfire information:

• Oregon Wildfire Resources
• Travel Oregon's Ways to Help During Oregon Wildfires

The word of the year is “unprecedented.” In our lifetimes, we have never seen such devastation – lives, property, and businesses lost to circumstances outside of our control.

What is incredible is how many of you have responded. You saw the need and rose to the occasion, offering lodging for people who have lost everything, free meals for the community, and hope for the future. There is a reason Oregon is known for its hospitality, and it’s on full display in the most challenging of times for our industry. Thank you! We couldn’t be more proud of our community’s spirit and resolve. 

Because we know how challenging circumstances are right now, here is some information you need to know in response to Oregon’s wildfires. 

Public Safety Power Shutoffs
Please be aware of current policies from your regional utilities. Both Portland General Electric and Pacific Power have indicated they will continue with policies to cut power in extreme conditions. Pacific Power has a monitor to check for potential areas affected by this policy. Portland General Electric has enacted shutoffs in response to the conditions near Mt. Hood; read more on the PGE FAQ.

Utilities are generally looking at several factors before making this decision and are committing to proactive communication. The Pacific Power criteria includes:

• Dry trees and brush and other potential wildfire fuel
• High, sustained winds
• Extremely low humidity
• Current and forecasted weather conditions from multiple third parties and our own weather stations 
• Population density
• Real-time observation from on-the-ground experts
• Input from local public safety and health agencies

Be sure to have a plan in place for such emergency conditions. Contact your local health authority for more information on what they would require for maintaining operations in an emergency. Feel free to contact your Membership Representative with questions or to connect with others who have explored this subject.

How Can I Help?
Please visit Travel Oregon’s Ways To Help During Oregon Wildfires, a guide for where to donate money, supplies, and volunteer time. 

To get the latest updates and links to safety registries, mental health resources, current condition reports, and more, visit Wildfire.oregon.gov. If you are looking for hotels offering discounts for fire evacuees in the valley, visit Travel Portland's resource page.

Nicole Peterson
ORLA Government Affairs Coordinator

​Update Sept. 4: Over 500 volunteers participated in the cleanup event and 3,290 pounds of trash out were removed out of downtown Portland! Many thanks to all the volunteers from Portland hotels, the Portland Lodging Alliance, Portland Business Alliance, and ORLA staff for their efforts. Some of the news coverage:

• Hundreds of volunteers clean up downtown Portland (KGW 8)
• Mayor Wheeler, hundreds of volunteers clean up downtown Portland streets and sidewalks (Fox 12)
• Portland businesses host clean-up event downtown to encourage visiting the area (OPB)

Portland, Aug. 27 - SOLVE, Portland Business Alliance, Portland Lodging Alliance, and others are rallying together to host a cleanup of Downtown Portland on September 3. This event open to the public for anyone who is interested in volunteering for the cleanup effort. Register here.

SOLVE has hosted several cleanups downtown since June, supporting hundreds of Portlanders who have wanted to care for their community through volunteer litter cleanup. The purpose of the September 3 Downtown Portland Cleanup is to send a clear message to the Portland community that the Portland business district is an open, safe, and clean place to visit, while inviting the community to join the effort.

“As the challenges in Portland continue to impact businesses, I think we all have a responsibility” explains George Schweitzer, Chairman for the Portland Lodging Alliance and Managing Director of The Benson Hotel. “This is an important event for businesses to come together, along with the Portland community at large, to show that we are a strong and resilient city, and that we can come together to restore our vibrant streets so that people can feel safe to explore and help our businesses thrive.”

Kris Carico, CEO of SOLVE echoes his sentiments stating, “SOLVE prides itself on offering a safe space for anyone who wants to make a positive difference in their community. A volunteer litter cleanup brings everyone together because it is a simple activity that all can support. At the end of the day, it’s about caring for the place we call home.”

The event will begin at multiple locations throughout downtown, to accommodate the need for social distancing during volunteer check-in, while also allowing for the maximum amount of interested volunteers to participate given group gathering restrictions. The event will follow all SOLVE’s COVID-19 Safety Guidelines including requiring participants to wear a face covering, maintain a minimum of six feet of distance, and only providing sanitized cleanup equipment to volunteers, among other measures.

Volunteers will focus on removing large items of litter and debris, while also focusing on picking up cigarette butts that often end up in storm drains and pollute the nearby Willamette River and other waterways. Community members who would like to get involved in the volunteer event should visit solveoregon.org to pre-register.

SOLVE is a statewide non-profit organization that brings Oregonians together to improve our environment and build a legacy of stewardship. Since 1969, the organization has grown from a small, grassroots group to a national model of volunteer action. Today, SOLVE mobilizes and trains tens of thousands of volunteers of all ages across Oregon to clean and restore our neighborhoods and natural areas, and to build a legacy of stewardship for our state. Visit solveoregon.org for more information. 

The Portland Business Alliance is greater Portland’s Chamber of Commerce. Our mission is to create opportunity and advance well-being for all who live and work in the greater Portland and SW Washington region. Our vision is a healthy and resilient business ecosystem. Visit PortlandAlliance.com for more information.

The Portland Lodging Alliance is a volunteer-led sub-chapter of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA). Members of ORLA's staff will be participating in this event alongside the Portland Lodging Alliance in support of the lodging industry and improving the downtown environment.

​
Contact: Larissa Gordon, 860-942-9108, larissa@solveoregon.org Contact: Larissa Gordon

[Aug. 25, 2020] - The following letter was submitted by ORLA to Metro Council in response to the delayed implementation of the Business Food Waste Requirement

Metro Council -

As you are well aware, the foodservice industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This virus scares many of our customers and workers from coming back until it’s safe. Employers are scrambling to try to pivot their business models and maintain enough cashflow to keep their employees’ jobs intact. People have poured their lives into their small business, only to see it jeopardized by something completely out of their control. It’s no surprise we’re seeing closure after closure.
 
The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association commends Metro for taking action in response to these uncertain times. While the business food waste requirement has worthy goals, this pandemic calls for foodservice operators to dedicate all attention and resources available to protecting their workers and their jobs. By delaying the implementation of these rules, you are recognizing this challenge, and for that, we say thank you.
 
Our recommendation to Metro is to consider delaying implementation until all jurisdictions under Metro’s purview have entered Phase 3. The foodservice industry is built on hospitality and face to face interaction. We will not enter any sort of normalcy until our customers and workers feel safe enough to venture outside their homes and see friends and family. Until then, many operators will simply not have the resources in personnel, time, or financial capital to dedicate to this important business change. In the interim, we are more than happy to continue as your partner in providing educational opportunities to foodservice operators to help eliminate waste and reduce costs.

Nicole Peterson
Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association

[Metro] Comment on implementation delay

On March 20, 2020 Metro temporarily delayed implementation of the Business Food Waste Requirement for 6 months in order to assess the effects of COVID-19 and to allow time make a permanent decision about the program. Given the breadth of impacts of the pandemic Metro has chosen to further delay implementation and is in the process of amending Administrative Rules to reflect this change. 

Metro is seeking comments and feedback in relation to the implementation date change and resulting proposed changes to the Administrative Rules.

Administrative rule 4.000-4.085

PORTLAND, Oregon– Updated August 3, 2020 – While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone, the hospitality industry was the first hit by closures and one that has been especially devastated by its impact. The Oregon Hospitality Foundation(OHF) is proud to announce awards to fourteen restaurants throughout Oregon that responded to the incredible need for food by creating innovative programs to help feed their communities – from essential workers to unemployed restaurant staff and food-insecure neighbors. In addition to the generous support from the Grubhub Community Relief Fund, OHF will donate a percentage of proceeds from its virtual event series, Takeout & A Movie, to support restaurants and tourism partners across the state that are making a difference in our communities. 
 
According to the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, as of April 2020 81% of restaurant employees (approximately 127,000 people in Oregon) had been laid off or furloughed. “Being of service is at the heart of the hospitality industry,” said OHF Executive Director Wendy Popkin. “The Oregon Hospitality Foundation is proud to help raise funds and contribute to family-owned restaurants across the state who are stepping up to feed people in their communities.”

OHF Hospitality Help Fund Restaurant Awards
The following Oregon restaurants received funds for their ongoing work to feed frontline workers, food-insecure citizens, and unemployed service industry professionals:
​

• 7 Devil’s Public House, Coos Bay ($2,640): Created the Community Meal Program to provide family-sized take-and-bake meals to unemployed service industry workers, as well as comforting soup deliveries to the homeless community.
• Bird + Rye, Ashland ($2,000 with an additional $2000 to use for matching donations): Owner Neil Clooney created the fundraising model, Chicken with a Cause to provide meals to Ashland’s unsheltered population. Meals include fried chicken, salad, and a roll. 
• Botanist House, Portland ($8,000): Created a new model to use ongoing donations to hire drivers and deliver 750 meals per day to unemployed service industry professionals.
• Celilo Restaurant, Hood River ($6,900): Prepared Meal Kits twice a week for foodservice industry workers, essential workers and food-insecure families. To date, Celilo has prepared and delivered over 1,000 meals with the help of donations from local farms and vendors and individual sponsorships.
• Everybody Eats Portland ($2033 with an additional $2033 to use for matching donations): Owner Johnny Huff pivoted his catering company to provide meals to Don’t Shoot Portland and Portland area shelters.
• Falafel Republic, Ashland ($2,700): Created the “Pita with a Purpose” program to provide healthy meals for essential workers, food-insecure families, first responders and school food programs.
• Kee’s Loaded Kitchen, Portland ($3,200 with an additional $3,200 to use for matching donation): Owner and operator Kiauna Nelson provides six-course home-cooked meals for free to low income and homeless Black community residents, BLM protesters and supporters. The award will allow Kee to continue serving approximately 426 free meals to her community.
• Portland Mercado and Clackamas Women’s Services, Portland and Oregon City ($4,380): The Mercado Meals partnership between the Hacienda’s Mercado Empresarios and Clackamas Women’s Services feeds domestic and sexual violence survivors sheltered in alternative housing during the pandemic. Funding will provide support for over 350 additional meals.
• Harbor Light Restaurant, Reedsport ($2,000): Prepared over 500 fresh meals and desserts for families at the local food bank, Project Blessing. Funding will support 2 weeks of dinners for this organization.
• Northwest Pizza, Ashland ($4,520): Provided meals for the homeless community every week, as well as donated over $1,000 worth of gift cards to food-insecure school families. This grant will expand food donations to the homeless community and more local schools.  
• Restaurant O, Coos Bay ($2,060): Created the Pay it Forward program to provide meals to homeless children, first responders and foster care families.
• Rudy’s Steakhouse, Salem ($4,140): Created the program Crisis Meals to provide meals to first responders and unemployed workers. To date, Rudy’s has provided over 8,000 meals in the local Salem community.
• Screamin’ Jays, Eugene ($4,800): Partnered with Food for Lane Country to provide 3,000 meals to the unhoused community and will serve up to 800 ongoing meals with the OHF award.
• Toro Bravo Restaurant Group, Portland ($3,800): Created the Feed it Forward PDX program to feed the homeless community at P:ear, Rose Haven, and New Avenues for Youth. They also provided free food bags for anyone in need and a sliding scale pay structure for meals to healthcare workers on the frontline.

 
About Oregon Hospitality Foundation
The Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF) was established in 1992 and is a nonprofit 501c3 that supports the charitable relief needs and ongoing educational and training requirements of Oregon’s Hospitality industry. OHF’s partners include restaurants, lodging, attractions and other tourism businesses and organizations throughout Oregon. Recently, OHF created the Oregon Hospitality Help Fund as an emergency relief fund to raise money for its hospitality partners whose businesses and employees are struggling during the pandemic. To date more than ten restaurants have received funding to donate an estimated 11,500 meals. Oregon restaurants interested in applying for these funds can complete an online application here. For more information about supporting our work with a donation or sponsorship, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact:
Lisa Hill, lisa@lisahillpr.com, 503.730.8055

Restaurants and Bars Among Hardest Hit by COVID-19 Pandemic
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[Wilsonville, OR] – The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA), in partnership with the National Restaurant Association, recently completed a statistically significant survey around To-Go Cocktails, drinks made with distilled spirits for takeout, pickup or delivery to go along with meals purchased by guests.

The survey, conducted July 3-6th, shows 72% or nearly three in four Oregonians, said they would favor a proposal allowing customers to purchase cocktails or mixed drinks (made with distilled spirits) with their takeout and delivery food orders from restaurants. This is in addition to beer and wine, which is currently allowed.

Support is highest among those between the ages of 24-39 at 83%, with respondents between the ages of 58-74 showing the least support at 66%. Twenty-eight percent of adults said they strongly favor the proposal.  Fifty-nine percent of Oregon adults said they purchased takeout or delivery food from a restaurant for dinner during the week before they were surveyed.

ORLA President and CEO Jason Brandt said, “This is so encouraging for our members who have struggled just to stay open and keep people employed.”

Brandt continued, “This has been an incredibly difficult time when restaurants and bars have struggled to deal with the challenges of being shut down, having to pivot to offer only takeout, pickup or delivery and then trying to invite guests back into dining rooms and make them feel safe and comfortable. Knowing almost three out of four Oregonians support the option to purchase cocktails or mixed drinks to go with their meals means some restaurants and bars who might have previously had to close down actually have a chance to make it now.”

Allowing customers to purchase cocktails or mixed drinks (made with distilled spirits) for pickup, takeout or delivery requires a statutory change, meaning the Oregon Legislature would need to make the change to state law. Thirty other states currently offer To-Go Cocktails including Washington and California.

“From a public safety perspective, if more businesses are able to offer the service of delivery of alcohol to their customers, the need for those customers to physically go into stores and businesses is reduced, thus reducing the risk of community spread of COVID-19,” said Brandt.

Recognizing the need to help those who may have difficulty with alcohol addiction, ORLA’s website outlines a number of resources available to individuals, as well as training information to aid in prevention. More information on these resources and trainings can be found at OregonRLA.org/crisis-services-and-training.

For more information please contact Greg Astley, ORLA Director of Government Affairs at 503.851.1330.

ORLA Announces Inaugural Participants for New Experiential Learning Program

Wilsonville, OR – The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is excited to announce the 2020 participants for the inaugural Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy (OTLA). Participants begin their first multi-day program experience in Central Oregon, July 22-24. Recruits will go beyond the walls of their businesses to gain in-depth experiences and knowledge that will elevate their passion and excitement for our state’s extraordinary offerings. 

“We believe we are embarking on a leadership experience which will prove to be transformative for program participants,” said Jason Brandt, President & CEO for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “The academy will bring lasting personal and professional benefits to those who participate.” 

Developed in partnership with Travel Oregon and the Oregon Destination Association, this new experiential learning program is targeted to tourism professionals seeking to polish their leadership and professional skills and make positive and lasting contributions to the state’s tourism economy. An advisory committee of tourism industry representatives helped shape the development of the program through a shared vision of cultivating stronger champions for Oregon's tourism industry. The program consists of four multi-day excursions to be completed over the course of a year. The 2020 program will take place in Central Oregon, Southern Oregon, the North Oregon Coast and the Willamette Valley in the Spring of 2021. Experiences for the second-year class starting in the Summer of 2021 will include visits to Eastern Oregon, the Columbia Gorge, Portland Region, and Oregon’s Mid-Coast Range.

ORLA has been intentional in its pursuit of activating industry champions and the OTLA program supports that goal. The academy provides a compounding benefit of bringing people together for learning through experiences and empowering them to make lasting contributions to Oregon’s tourism and hospitality industries. Participants will create lifelong relationships and networking pathways through their connections.

Participants of the 2020 Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy:

• Heather Anderson, Tourism Professional
• Justin Aufdermauer, Tillamook Chamber of Commerce
• Mackenzie Ballard, Visit Central Oregon
• Ashley Cates, Travel Medford
• Kristen Dollarhide, Travel Pendleton
• Terri Ferguson, Escape Lodging LLC
• Beverly Garcia, FivePine Lodge
• Ken Henson, Pelican Brewing/Kiwanda Hospitality
• Calvin LeSueur, City of Canby
• Matt Maletis, The M. Maletis Co., OLCC
• Wela Negelspach, Columbia County Economic Team
• Samara Phelps, Clackamas County Tourism
• Wendy Popkin, Oregon Hospitality Foundation 
• Arica Sears, Oregon Coast Visitors Association
• Dawnielle Tehama, Willamette Valley Visitors Association
• Liz Wan, VinoVerse Consultants
  
• Matthew Weintraub, City of Oregon City

For more information on the Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy, visit OregonRLA.org/OTLA.

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The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association is the leading business association for the foodservice and lodging industry in Oregon, which is comprised of over 10,220 foodservice locations and 2,000 lodging establishments with a workforce of 183,191, and a total economic impact of $13.8 billion in annual sales for Oregon.