The Oregon Liquor Control Commission reported eight restaurants and bars in Deschutes County, and at least one in Jefferson County, to the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violating COVID-19 prevention measures earlier this month. The alleged violations include a handful of locations in downtown Bend.
During the first two weekends in July, OLCC representatives visited over 2,200 Oregon businesses with a liquor license. The OLCC was following Gov. Kate Brown’s orders to “ensure restaurants, bars, other businesses, and their patrons are complying with state alcohol laws, OLCC rules, and the requirement to wear a face masks in indoor public spaces.”
On July 1, Gov. Brown extended the face covering requirement to include indoor public spaces, including bars and restaurants as well as grocery stores. In a July 7 press release, OLCC’s report showed that Bend-area businesses had a higher number of non-compliant businesses compared to establishments in Portland, Salem, the north Oregon Coast and eastern Oregon.
It’s unbelievable that a sliver of the hospitality industry is putting at risk everyone’s reopening economic investment. — Steve Marks, OLCC Executive Director
“OLCC inspectors reported some licensees or their customers were showing clear disregard for social distancing requirements,” stated a July 3 press release from the governor’s office. Following the first and second weekends in July, OLCC officials sent two batches of complaints for COVID prevention violations to OHSA, the labor agency responsible for managing worker safety and other workplace complaints. Both weeks of the sweep, businesses in Central Oregon made up at least half of the total complaints statewide.
OSHA is currently investigating each location reported to the agency by OLCC to determine whether the claims warrant fines for the businesses involved.
During the first week of sweeps, OLCC submitted non-compliance complaints against Astro Lounge, Duda’s Billiards Bar and Wall Street Bar, General Duffy’s Waterhole in Redmond and Ferguson’s Market in Terrebonne. Four other locations in Cottage Grove, Pendleton, Springfield and Toledo also have formal complaints filed by OLCC with OSHA.
By the second weekend of sweeps—July 10, 11 and 12—the OLCC started cracking down harder, issuing verbal instructions to 81 bars and restaurants in the state and forwarded another 16 incident reports to Oregon OSHA. In a press release the OLCC stated that these businesses were “willfully choosing not to follow the guidelines.”
The second week included three two-time alleged violators: The Astro Lounge, Wall Street Bar and General Duffy’s Waterhole, and new alleged violators at The Bite, Seven Nightclub and The Dogwood Cocktail Cabin and Over The Edge Tap House (Terrebonne). The Creekside Beer Garden and Cross Street Station 76, both in Prineville, were also cited. The rest were from Grants Pass, Medford, Toledo and Portland.
A few days before the OLCC reported the Wall Street Bar to OSHA for a second time, one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19, according to Dolly Miller, who manages the bar for her parents. Miller said she then shut down the bar to await instructions from Deschutes County Health Services. Miller told the Source it took the agency five days to return her call. Then, during the weekend of July 11, OLCC reported the bar to OSHA for “lack of social distancing and no mask use among patrons.”
“The mask regulation for customers outdoors was not in place when we got cited,” Miller said. Gov. Brown’s outdoor mask requirement for crowded public places went into effect July 15, at least three days after the second OLCC report.
“Everything changes on a day-to-day basis, with regulations changing from one authoritative figure to another—whether that’s the Oregon Health Authority, OLCC and OSHA. When rules change, it doesn’t necessarily change on their website.
“I wish there was some help for employers. All the businesses out here are trying their best to do what we can to help keep the community safe; it’s of utmost importance to me to protect my employees and patrons,” Miller said. “I’ve been buying masks by the hundreds. I have sanitizer everywhere all over the building.”
Next-door Taj Palace Indian Cuisine is technically under investigation by OSHA too, because it shares a liquor license with Wall Street Bar, but the businesses are in the process of applying for separate licenses, Miller said. (See Miller’s full post about these incidents below.)
Josh Maquet who runs the Astro Lounge said the OLCC targeted the bar for several sting operations already this year, in addition to many others in the past. “The OLCC is like the Mafia,” he said. Maquet told the Source his staff are vigilant about masks and social distancing for themselves and customers because they need their jobs: three of them never received unemployment during lockdown.
At General Duffy’s, the complaint centers around its customers. OLCC officials reported the business twice because patrons were allegedly not wearing masks and not social distancing, though on both occasions the OLCC noted that the bar’s employees were wearing masks.
Overall, the vast majority of hospitality businesses in Central Oregon are following the rules, the OLCC stated in a press release. OLCC stated its incident reports were filed against only 1% of total businesses originally inspected in the state.
“It’s unbelievable that a sliver of the hospitality industry is putting at risk everyone’s reopening economic investment,” said Steve Marks, OLCC executive director. “It’s a shame that so many businesses in that industry are doing their all to protect employees and customers and just a few are gambling with everyone else’s health and livelihood.”
Investigations usually take several weeks and OSHA cannot report on any details of these investigations. Businesses could be fined anywhere from $100 to more than $100,000 for willful violations, according to Aaron Corvin, OSHA spokesperson.
Editor’s note: This story was updated 7/23. An earlier version stated that the OLCC had reported nine locations in Deschutes County; one of those, Over the Edge Taphouse, is actually in Jefferson County.
This article appears in Jul 15-22, 2020.
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Close the bars
Better for everyone, including other businesses trying hard to stay open
Where are our priorities City Manager? We have poor leadership going on right now nationally and locally with lots of mixed messages. We need to close down bars in Bend as it is attracting vacationers. Yes, I miss my friends and family from neighboring states but I have told them to stay home. Are we worried about getting back to normal and getting our kids back in school? Should that not be our priority? People from California and Washington need to STAY HOME and don’t come here and infect our town. City manager and City of Bend Commissioners need to step up and start closing things down. If we all just quarantined for 4 weeks again, it would be more feasible for things to get back to normal and get our children back to school.
Kudos to both Nicole & bendlvr for their comments. This has been said time and time again, but is not enforced. Time to do something and have tourists stay away!! More WA & CA plates in Bend than OR, ridiculous. Getting back to normal is our priority and this will not happen without enforcement. Poor leadership is in place. And yes the hotels, restaurants, bars, need income, but at the expense of our health? Do something NOW!
Add crux to the list of bars that is promoting non-enforcement of masks. Large groups of young people swarming everywhere. No masks or social distancing enforced. They specifically told me that masks aren’t required outside- in a tone that made it clear that they didn’t care about helping our community stay safe.
Its really funny to me that the people who bitch about these terrible people and their out of state plates are the same people who are out there campaigning for justice for______(fill in the blank) “JUSTICE FOR OUT OF TOWNERS!”
If they dont comply..SHUT THEM DOWN. PLAIN AND SIMPLE!
Who cares about wearing a mask. Don’t be a Karen and sheep, take the mask off and go live your life. We need more businesses that are willing to not enforce a foolish not fact based mandate. Encourage tourism, keep bends economy going.
Thank you all for your comments. Jenny, I understand your concerns. It is unfortunate that this is going down the way it is, because these reports are based on allegations from the OLCC to OSHA. As we stated in the article, everyone on this list is innocent until proven guilty, but it is public information and something we felt like we needed to report on. I’ve emailed the full spreadsheet to Jenny, and if anyone else would like a copy, please let me know. I’m about to post this story to our FB and Twitter feeds, so please feel free to share your concerns there as well.
This is irresponsible reporting. Over the edge tap house has never been fined or warned of any violations. To add their name to the list is slanderous and threatens to impede the livelihood of not only the tap house but the food trucks that operate out of that location. I find it curious that before the the naming of of this location the word “allegedly” is used. Guess that gives you license to report false facts, TAKE IT DOWN!!
Curious how you emailed me when I didn’t provide my email? 🤔
This is irresponsible reporting. Over the Edge tap house has NEVER received any fine or warnings. To falsely report this threatens the lively hood of not only the tap house but also the food trucks that depend on the tap house for theirs. This is slanderous and should be taken down.
Here’s a radical thought: just wear a mask. Be considerate to your local brothers and sisters.
Hi Laurel,
I’d be interested in seeing the “allegations and reports” from the OLCC to OSHA, can you please provide? Can you also please list your source for this as well, since the media is all about reporting the “facts”. I look forward to hearing from you.
Furthermore, Over the Edge Taphouse is actually located in Jefferson county so should not be lumped into the Deschutes County list.
Hey Jennifer
I emailed them to Lynnelle Morgan. Since you were talking about the same business, I assumed you were in communication. I have updated the article with the complaints embedded.