Bend businesses react to upcoming minimum wage hike

Rising to $12/hour in Deschutes County, $11.50 for Crook and Jefferson

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Another summer, another minimum wage increase. For the last four years, Oregon's minimum wage has increased at least 25 cents every July. But this year, as you've heard so often, is different.

On Wednesday, July 1, the minimum wage will go up 75 cents in Deschutes County, to $12 an hour. Crook and Jefferson counties will see an increase of 50 cents, to $11.50 an hour.

While that may be music to the ears of some employees, it may not be for some business owners trying to recover from what lost during the COVID-19 stay-home orders.

At Bend's Immersion Brewing, sales are down 50%, and the pub may consider switching to counter service and no longer using waiters and waitresses.

The pub's co-owner said paying servers an increased minimum wage on top of the tips they receive may be too much for the brewery to handle at present.

That's not the case at the Jimmy John's in Bend's Old Mill District. Elijah DuBois admitted sales are down: "Summer is the busy time usually, so we are probably down like 30% from last year."

But he said the minimum wage increase shouldn't be a problem for the five employees he has that are currently being paid at that level.

"(We) should be alright," Dubois said.

The Portland metro area will have the highest minimum wage in the state at $12.50 an hour.