BUSINESS & AG LIFE
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022
Oregon’s hotels and restaurants fi nding their footing, at last
By MIKE ROGOWAY
The Oregonian
SALEM — The pan-
demic clobbered Oregon’s
bars, restaurants and hotels,
with extended shutdowns and
wiping out more than 70,000
hospitality jobs in COVID-
19′s early days.
The sector was also
among the slowest to recover,
as successive outbreaks of
disease and intermittent
restrictions constrained oper-
ations and job growth well
into 2021. Oregon hospi-
tality jobs lagged far behind
the national recovery at the
beginning of last year.
Over the past 12 months,
though, the industry has
picked up the pace. Oregon
hospitality employment
is nearly 94% of what it
was prior to the pandemic,
roughly on par with national
trends. That’s a hopeful sign
heading into the summer
travel months.
“I do think the worst is
defi nitely behind us, and if
we can get infl ation under
wraps a little bit, then I think
the story for Oregon is quite
bright in the years ahead,”
said Jason Brandt, CEO of
the Oregon Restaurant &
Lodging Association.
Oregon has roughly
200,000 tourism jobs,
according to May data
from the Oregon Employ-
ment Department. Roughly
three-quarters of those jobs
are in bars and restaurants.
The loss of that work was
especially hard on Oregon’s
coastal communities, which
rely on tourism for an out-
size share of their economic
activity, and on younger
workers, who do many of the
sector’s entry-level service
jobs.
Federal stimulus pay-
ments and beefed-up unem-
ployment benefi ts blunted
layoff s’ fi nancial toll for
many workers, of course.
Their spending, plus billions
in business subsidies, buoyed
many bars and restaurants
that otherwise would have
succumbed to the shutdowns.
But lasting damage remains,
with lives and careers dis-
rupted and scores of popular
dining and drinking estab-
lishments gone forever.
“We have both great sto-
ries and horror stories all at
the same time,” Brandt said.
Businesses that endured
were the ones that found
ways to adjust, often by auto-
mating aspects of their opera-
tions or improving their to-go
service to adapt to a decline
in in-person dining.
Hospitality businesses
face new challenges now,
with infl ation pushing up
their costs and squeezing
their profi ts. And Ore-
gon’s labor market remains
extremely tight — the
inability to fi nd workers is
one key reason hospitality
jobs haven’t returned to
pre-pandemic levels.
“The disruptions are real.
We went from one crisis
right into another, with the
infl ationary pressures that
everyone is feeling,” Brandt
said.
The upside for workers
is that hospitality wages
aren’t just keeping pace with
infl ation, they’re handily
exceeding it.
The average Oregon leisure
and hospitality job pays $20.77
an hour, according to the latest
state data. That’s up from
$16.91 in May 2019, before the
pandemic, and a 12% increase
in just the past year.
Portland, like urban areas
in the rest of the country,
continues to face issues
resulting from offi ce clo-
sures and steep reductions in
business travel, according to
Brandt. Reputational damage
from unrest in 2020 has been
a particular issue for Port-
land, he said.
Overall, though, Brandt
said the hospitality’s trajec-
tory is good, and he’s opti-
mistic about the outlook
despite those headwinds and
the infl ationary pressure.
“Every month,” Brandt
said, “we seem to see a little
bit more progression.”
The Observer, File
Tap That Growlers on Adams Avenue in downtown La Grande is
busy the evening of Nov. 12, 2020, six days before Gov. Kate Brown’s
mandates went into eff ect that would lead to prohibitions against in-
person dining at restaurants and bars throughout most of Oregon.
Bars, restaurants and hotels have found ways to adapt to COVID-19
but now face new pressures from infl ation.
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103 Announcements
by Stella Wilder
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022
YOUR BIRTHDAY by Stella Wilder
Born today, you are a straightforward, no-
nonsense sort of individual with many admi-
rable traits that make you a role model for all
sorts of people. Though you do not go out of
your way to impress, the fact is that you can-
not help but attract attention from those who
see in you the kind of person they would like
to be. You want to be successful, to be sure,
and so you always follow a practical path lead-
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FRIDAY, JULY 15
CANCER (June 21-July 22) -- A familiar
situation looms, but what you’ve done in the
past to deal with it may not be appropriate this
time around. You’ll find an alternative.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- You mustn’t use
force to get what you want today, whether
physical or psychological. An easy, calm nego-
tiation is favored at this time.
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2022
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- You may be
confused about what is actually required of
you today. Go to the source of all primary
information and ask for a complete review.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- You may have
to attend more than one meeting today that
proves a giant waste of time -- or at least that’s
what it may seem. Let things develop.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- You may
feel weighed down today by issues that you
cannot directly control but which play on your
emotions. It may be time to solicit help.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- You
know who has the answers you seek, but you
may think that going to that person today is a
sign of vulnerability. This is not so.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You
needn’t follow the rules to the letter today, so
you are free to experiment. You need please
only yourself so long as success continues.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Something
you used to do all on your own may require
collaboration this time around -- and that
means that you’ll have to take more time.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Not every-
one is going to interpret the rules the same
way you do today, and that will make things
interesting when you try to collaborate.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- You may
have to juggle a lot of little tasks today before
your schedule clears for the big thing that
waits for your undivided attention.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Someone is
eager to get a rise out of you today, but you’re
in no mood to cooperate. It may be best for
you to go elsewhere for interaction.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -- You’ve taken
a stand to which many have voiced objections,
but today you can prove that your way of
thinking is correct -- at least for now.
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LA GRANDE LIONS CLUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
of each month @ 12 PM
Union County Senior Center
1504 N. Albany St., La Grande
PINOCHLE
Fridays at 6:30 p.m.
Senior Center
2810 Cedar St., Baker City
Public is welcome
Baker County United
“freedom rallies”
3rd Thursday each month
6 p.m. at the Sunridge
1 Sunridge Lane.
The public is invited
Kiwanis Club of Baker City
Tuesday at 12:00 PM
Sunrige Inn Restaurant
1 Sunridge Lane
For more information call:
(541) 523-6027
ROTARY CLUB
of Baker City
Meets every Monday
Noon - 1 PM
Baker Towers
Meeting Room
POWDER RIVER
SPORTSMAN’S CLUB
Meets 1st Tuesday
of every month
8th & Broadway, Baker City
6 PM - Pistolettes
7 PM - Regular Membership
114 Group Meetings
NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS
541-805-2229
neo-na.org
NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS
Monday, Thursday, & Friday
at 8pm. Episcopal Church
2177 First St., Baker City
AA MEETINGS - La Grande
Wednesday Nights, 7-8:15pm.
Fort Union Grange Hall, corner of
McAlister & Gekeler Lanes. For
more info, call 541-786-1222
AL-ANON
Keep Coming Back Family
Group
Mondays, 7 pm
at NKWest, 1208 Adams,
La Grande, OR
CELEBRATE RECOVERY
Calvary Baptist Church
Third & Broadway
Baker City, OR
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6:15 - 8:00 PM
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DO YOU HAVE....HURTS,
HABITS and/or HANG UPS?
12 Step Biblical Support
Harvest Church
3720 Birch St. Baker City
Thurs., 6:30 - 8:30 PM
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GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS
Every Friday Night @ 5pm, 2107
Gekeler Ln, LG, Church of Christ
basement. For more info please
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AA MEETINGS
BAKER CITY
MONDAYS
Survivor’s Group
12 -1:00 pm
Baker Presbyterian Church
1995 4th St.
(4th & Court, Side Door)
WEDNESDAYS
Survivor’s Group
12:05 pm
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1995 4th St.
(4th & Court, Side Door)
THURSDAYS
Survivor’s Group
12:00 pm
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1995 4th St.
(4th & Court, Side Door)
SATURDAYS
As Bill Sees It Group
10:00 am 2970 Walnut
(Corner of “D” & Grove St.)
Grove Apts. Community Rm
SUNDAYS
Been There Done That
5:30 pm
Grove APartments
Community Room
2970 Walnut Street
Questions call AA Hotline:
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