Innovative Partnership Officially Launches for Oregon Restaurants

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
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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.”
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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.

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