Indoor and Outdoor Dining Shutdown Will Permanently Close 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 | [email protected]

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.