PENDLETON â Ever since local businesses shut down in the state-mandated âfreezeâ back in November, Rodney Burt, the co-owner of OMG Burgers & Brew in Pendleton, estimates that heating his outdoor seating area has cost about $40 in propane each day. Thatâs about $1,200 each month.
âYouâre not raising any prices, cutting any labor,â he said. âItâs just another thing right out of your pocket.â
Burt, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Kimberly, said that he had to lay off eight of his 20 employees when the freeze began. It was the second time during the pandemic he had to do so.