BUSINESS
A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2022
The Bridge Bistro & Brews finalizes rebranding
BY JOHN TILLMAN
Hermiston Herald
The owners of Umatillla’s for-
mer adult entertainment venue
finally made the relaunch into
The Bridge Bistro & Brews of-
ficial.
“We started in July 2020, but
haven’t had an official grand
opening in two years,” owner
Paulette Dufloth said.
She and husband Daren Du-
floth have been in business for
21 years, but in March 2020
they closed Riverside Sports Bar
& Lounge due to the pandemic.
They remodeled and branded
the establishment at 1501 Sixth
St., even winning Umatilla’s
Business of the Year award in
2021, and finally held a ribbon
cutting ceremony June 18.
Two federal Paycheck Protec-
tion Program pandemic relief
loans in May 2020 and January
2021 aided the revamp. Total-
ing $99,468, the Small Business
Administration forgave both
loans. A great many Northeast-
ern Oregon businesses received
PPP loans.
The Dufloths also benefited
from a Restaurant Recovery
Fund grant of $156,754. RRF
grants were far fewer than PPP
loans. The American Rescue
Plan Act program mandated the
vast majority of its funding to
go to eligible businesses owned
by women, veterans and socially
and economically disadvan-
taged individuals.
Lawsuits challenged that pri-
ority policy, alleging discrimi-
nation against white men. After
several judges ruled in favor of
those claims, the SBA stopped
processing applications from
members of prioritized groups
and rescinded some approvals
already made.
The Bridge offers burgers,
pizzas, steaks, salads and two
poutines, a Quebecois dish of
french fries and cheese curds
topped with brown gravy. Du-
floth is from Prince Edward
Island, Canada, of French Aca-
dian ancestry. The Bridge also
serves cocktails, a variety of
bottled beers and non-alcoholic
beverages. It features live music
on Wayback Wednesdays and
some Saturdays.
Yasser Marte/Hermiston Herald
Umatilla’s The Bridge Bistro & Brews is ready to serve hungry patrons Thursday, June 30, 2022. Federal pandemic relief programs aided in the transformation of the Riverside Sports
Bar & Lounge into The Bridge.
Yasser Marte/Hermiston Herald
Umatilla’s The Bridge Bistro &
Brews operates Thursday June 30,
2022, and features Maple Moose
Coffee and a drive thru for custom-
ers on the go.
Sit down dining and takeout
service are available. Takeout or-
ders helped The Bridge survive
pandemic lockdowns.
For more information, in-
cluding hours of operation, visit
The Bridge’s website, thebridge-
bistroandbrews.com, and look
for it on Facebook.
Yasser Marte/Hermiston Herald
Paulette Dufloth talks Thursday, June 30, 2022, about the rebranding
of her restaurant in Umatilla. The Bridge Bistro & Brews held its ribbon
cutting ceremony June 18.
Yasser Marte/Hermiston Herald
An option for al-fresco dining awaits customers Thursday, June 30, 2022,
at the Bridge Bistro & Brews in Umatilla.
1. NOTIFY
Call 8-1-1 or make a request
online two to three days before
your work begins. The operator
will notify the utilities affected
by your project.
2. WAIT
Wait two to three days for affected
utilities to respond to your request.
They will send a locator to mark any
underground utility lines.
2-3
3. CONFIRM
Confirm that all affected utilities
have responded to your request by
comparing the marks to the list of
utilities the 8-1-1 call center notified.
5 STEPS
FOR SAFE
DIGGING
Working on an outdoor project?
Careless digging poses a threat to
people, pipelines and underground
facilities. Always call 8-1-1 first. Here
are five easy steps for safe digging:
4. RESPECT
Respect the markers provided by
the affected utilities. The markers
are your guide for the duration of
your project.
5. DIG CAREFULLY
If you can’t avoid digging near the
markers (within 18-24 inches on
all sides, depending on state laws),
consider moving your project location.
For more electric safety information
visit our Outage and Safety Center at:
Hermiston Office
Boardman Office
750 W. Elm Ave.
Hermiston, OR 97838
(541) 567-6414
400 N.E. Eldrige Drive
Boardman, OR 97818