BUSINESS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7
OMG! Burgers & Brew to open new restaurant in Hermiston
Restaurant will
resemble Pendleton
OMG!, owner said
By ERICK PETERSON
Editor/Senior Reporter
OMG! Burgers & Brew
is opening in downtown
Hermiston on Oct. 1. It is
the second location for the
popular restaurant, which
has operated in Pendleton
for more than three years.
It is a good time to open
a restaurant, said Rod-
ney Burt, OMG! owner.
COVID-19 has caused
many people to be isolated.
“People want to get out,”
he said. “They want to eat
at a great place with family
and friends.”
The Hermiston menu
will be the same as the one
at the Pendleton restau-
rant. Also, the atmospheres
of the two restaurants will
match.
OMG!’s off erings include
a variety of beef, pork and
chicken burgers. Many of
these burgers have fanciful
names, such as “Gouda for
Me Burger” and “Leggo My
Eggo Burger.” The restau-
rant also serves sausage
dogs, salads, sliders, appetiz-
ers and desserts.
The children’s menu has
mini corn dogs, chicken
nuggets, grilled cheese
sandwiches and more.
Opening a second restau-
rant has been in the works
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
The latest OMG! Burgers & Brew will be on Main Street in
downtown Hermiston.
for years. Burt’s fi ve-year
plan includes having three
restaurants in the area. For
the last three years, he has
wanted a second restau-
rant, and he has been trying
to fi nd a good location for
two years.
COVID-19 slowed his
plan, but continued expan-
sion, he said, remains the
plan.
“We believe we have
found a great place in
Hermiston,” he said.
Burt grew up in Herm-
iston and Umatilla, and he
said he loves the area. The
region, he said, is “boom-
ing.” As such, people
expect great restaurants.
By creating a Herm-
iston restaurant, he said
he believes he will help
improve dining options in
the town. This will encour-
age other restaurants to
open in Hermiston, which
has happened in Walla
Walla and continues hap-
pening in Pendleton. If
enough restaurants open in
Hermiston, it will become a
destination.
“It benefi ts all restau-
rants and businesses,” he
said.
He added, his new
restaurant also will benefi t
workers, as he is hiring 30
employees for Hermiston.
He also has 30 employees
at his Pendleton restaurant,
he said.
Getting ready to open by
the start of October, Burt
was readying the restaurant.
He was receiving equip-
ment and working with the
health department. He also
was hiring employees.
“We also need more
cooks, servers and hosts,”
he said.
Bigger, better Hermiston
Food Pod in the works
By ERICK PETERSON
Editor/Senior Reporter
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Gunner Shaff er, left, and Andrew Lamb take a break Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021, at Infi nity
Watch Collectibles. Lamb, Infi nity Watch owner, has been interested in Pokémon and other
collectibles since childhood. The store in Umatilla gives him the opportunity to keep close
to his favorite hobbies.
Umatilla business owner
collects for fun and profi t
Infi nity Watch Collectibles
sells manga, comics,
Pokémon and more
By ERICK PETERSON
Editor/Senior Reporter
Business is boom-
ing, according to Andrew
Lamb, Infi nity Watch Col-
lectibles owner. His store
in Umatilla is fl ush with
customers. This is good
news for the Umatilla res-
ident, as his success is
allowing him to keep close
to his passions — the many
collectibles in his store.
Lamb still remembers
his fi rst collectible comic
book, “Captain Amer-
ica No. 101.” The issue,
released in 1968 and
titled “When Wakes the
Sleeper,” was created by
writer Stan Lee and pen-
ciler Jack Kirby. As far as
beginnings go, this comic
was a pretty good start,
Lamb said. That said,
comics were not his sole
interest.
His parents, who were
big Star Wars fans and
collectors, got him inter-
ested in collectibles, but
he was more interested in
Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and
Batman.
Throughout the late
90s and early 2000s, he
was obtaining everything
he could. More often than
not, he bought items that
featured popular heroes,
such as Wolverine. He
said he did not really know
what he was doing, so he
did not always make the
best decisions as a collec-
tor or a speculator.
These days, he knows
better. His personal col-
lection is made up of “key
issues,” comics that are
signifi cant for the fi rst
appearance of a popular
character, a notable story
or the fi rst issue of a series.
He also tries to obtain key
books to sell at his store,
though he also has many
comics that are not key but
still entertaining.
These days, comic book
collecting is based on
speculation, he said. Col-
lectors will usually keep
an eye on movie and TV
announcements. As soon
as a new fi lm project is
announced, collectors will
try to buy comics related
to the project. Soon after-
wards, the price of these
comics increases. Even
lesser-known characters,
such as Moon Knight, can
become big sellers leading
up to a movie.
Some collectors are
interested in stories for
their own sake, though
they are not always buy-
ing physical copies of the
books. They tend to read
comics online, then per-
haps buy a paper copy
for their collection. These
paper copies are not for
reading, Lamb said.
Most people interested
in comic stories, he said,
are not following Amer-
ican comics; rather, they
are reading manga (Japa-
nese comics) and watch-
ing anime (Japanese car-
toons). Lamb said there
are single manga book
series, such as “Demon
Slayer,” that outsell all of
the most popular Ameri-
can comics combined.
And though he sells
both comics and manga,
Lamb’s biggest selling
items are Pokémon cards.
And it is not just children
that are buying the cards;
it is also adults. Boys, girls,
men and women, everyone
loves Pokémon, according
to the shop owner.
He said he relates to
their interest. When he
was younger, he used to
buy packs of cards. He still
remembers the excitement
of opening the packs, hope-
ful he would obtain a valu-
able card. This feeling is
with him today.
He is glad he gets to
surround himself with his
interests, but he knows
this situation is fragile. He
opened in 2019, but it was
not long until he had to
close due to the COVID-19
pandemic. It was not until
November 2020 that he
could reopen.
He said he has ideas
for things he would like
to do in the future. Mostly,
though, he hopes to keep
doing this job that he loves.
“We have a lot of fun
here,” he said.
The Hermiston Food Pod
will close temporarily start-
ing Sept. 30, but it will return
after about a month, bigger
and better than ever, accord-
ing to Clinton Spencer, plan-
ning director for the city of
Hermiston.
The Food Pod is a group
of mobile food vendors on
Orchard Avenue in Hermis-
ton, near McKenzie Park and
the U.S. Post Offi ce.
Spencer said the closure
“will allow the city’s contrac-
tor to go in and upgrade the
utility infrastructure.”
He explained there is one
point of power connection and
one water connection. All the
users at the pod have to share
this one connection right now,
but the upgrades will create
eight permanent water, sewer
and electric connection points.
This will allow for as many
as eight vendors to each have
their own utility point and dis-
pose of wastewater on site,
Spenser said.
“Adding this infrastruc-
ture will help attract more
vendors,” Spencer said. “We
have seen a lot of interest in
locating in the pod, but the
lack of individual water con-
nections, and especially the
lack of wastewater facilities,
keeps a lot of vendors from
committing to the site.”
Other improvements
include more parking and
fencing around the perimeter
of the site, though the fencing
may be installed later, possi-
bly waiting until 2022.
Patrick Hunt, who has been
involved with the food pod for
three years, has been the site’s
manager and overseer for the
past two years. He also oper-
ates Southern Twain BBQ.
It has been “such a long
way from our fi rst day on site,
three years ago,” he said. And
he is excited about updates,
which will bring internet, as
well as more connections —
for power, sewer and water.
He foresees eight to 10 new
vendors, more than fi lling the
pod, even with the upgrades.
They are as follows: Southern
Twain BBQ, Maguis Raspa-
dos, Bella Blu, Tacos Garcia,
Philippine/Filipino, Rolled Ice
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Southern Twain BBQ will close at the end of September 2021
as the Hermiston Food Pod undergoes renovations.
Cream, Deli Sandwiches and
Hispanic Hotdogs & Smooth-
ies. There also will be smaller
trailers or tents, and temporary
daily use vendors.
Hunt said new power
receptacles throughout the
property will make musical
performances possible, as
small bands will be able to
plug in their equipment.
Excited about these new
developments, he said he
will close Southern Twain
BBQ for the duration of the
pod’s closure. He said he
intends to spend time with
his family, as well as deep
clean and remodel his truck.
He also will develop new
food off erings.
He thanked the commu-
nity, which has shown him
a lot of support. High school
students, in particular, he said,
have been good customers.
CHURCH
DIRECTORY
Community Worship
Featured this Week:
LANDMARK BAPTIST CHURCH
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
Sun. Bible Classes...................10:00am
Sun. Worship Service..............11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship..............5:00pm
Tues. Creation Club (Sept-May)..............4:30pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study......5:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
First Christian Church
Hermiston Christian
Center & School
“Grow Your Faith Through God”
Sunday Gathering: 10:00 AM
Sunday School...9:00 am
Worship Service...10:30 am
Nursery care is available 3 years & under
Kids Club available 4 years-5th grade
Sunday Prayer Gathering: 6:00 PM
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
NEED PRAYER? CONTACT US!
1825 W. Highland Ave.
541-567-3480 | hcc4u.org
hcc4u2020@gmail.com
PET OF THE WEEK
MEET SOFIE!
Sofie is around 2 years old. She must have a Dobie
savvy adopter. Needs to have a minimum 6’ fence as
she can jump them. Must be allowed indoors, she is
not an outdoor exclusively dog. Has food aggression
and for that reason, she will not be adopted to a
home with small children. She good with dogs,
but gets possessive of her owner.
Unsure of how she is with cats.
Mark Sargent, DVM • Brent Barton, DVM
Robert Thonney, DVM • Jana Parks, DVM, cVMA
Small and Large Animal Care
Mon: 8-6
Tue - Fri: 8-5
Sat: 8-12
Emergency Service
541.567.1138
80489 Hwy 395 N
Hermiston
www.oregontrailvet.com
Due to the
COVID-19
pandemic, animal
shelters need
our help more
than ever. Please
donate to your
local shelter, or
offer to foster an
animal in need.
If interested please go to fuzzballrescue.com and fill out an application.
If you are not able to adopt, but would like to foster or donate, visit fuzzballrescue.com
or you can mail in donations to Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue, PO Box 580, Hermiston, OR 97838
NEW BEGINNINGS
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children’s Church &
Nursery Available
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
541-289-4774
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
To advertise in the
Church Directory,
please contact
Audra Workman
541-564-4538 or email
aworkman@eastoregonian.com
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Saturdays
Sabbath School........9:30 a.m.
Worship Service......11:00 a.m.
English & Spanish Services
541-567-8241
855 W. Highland Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
Iglesia Católica Nuestra
Señora de los Ángeles
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
541-567-6672
JOIN OUR INCLUSIVE
CONGREGATION
ON OUR JOURNEY WITH JESUS
Services 9:00am Sundays
In-person or streaming
on Facebook or Zoom