OKANOGAN — Diana Oestreich, owner of the Cariboo Restaurant in Okanogan, opened normally last Thursday, ignoring the governor’s new order shutting down indoor dining. She presented it as a “peaceful protest” and served a small number of regular customers who came in to support her. She said she did so in a safe manner, following all recommended guidelines, and the spacious restaurant - with its 5.5 foot high booths - lends itself to providing more than adequate distance between patrons. Staff usually includes only herself and one cook, further limiting exposure.

Friday morning, Oestreich had a visit from Okanogan County Public Health inspector Patrick Dunn. He said that the restaurant had to close down, and remaining open for such a protest wasn’t permitted. He admitted that the multiple restaurants located at the 12 Tribes Casino only three miles away were allowed to be open for indoor seating, as they are under tribal jurisdiction. She refused to close and kick out the handful of supporters currently there, and said that her 100% marks on her most recent health department inspections means that she runs a clean and safe establishment.

A couple hours later, barely more than the travel time needed, a Labor & Industries employee out of the East Wenatchee L&I office showed up wanting to speak to Oestreich about her restaurant. That turned into a two-hour “interrogation” by the L&I inspector, Colleen Bowen. Bowen assessed a fine for the restaurant being open Thursday, and warned Oestreich about further daily penalties if she stayed open. At the time, Bowen couldn’t say what the amount of the fine would be, only that it was “hundreds of dollars”. L&I later informed Oestreich that a $900 penalty was being assessed against her for the single day opening.

In a later 40-minute phone call with an unidentified L&I supervisor, Oestreich was threatened with further fines of $10,000 and immediate jail time if she persisted in keeping the restaurant open, protest or not. Reluctantly, in the face of overwhelming threats from the state, she has closed her restaurant for now.

Oestreich is telling her story to Celski Law Firm in Kennewick, to see if they will take her case. The firm made an offer on Facebook to represent small businesses, pro bono, that stay open in defiance of the governor and are fined as a result.

“Small businesses...if you chose to stay open and are fined, we will represent your business Pro Bono to fight the fine. As a small business ourselves, we understand that these new restrictions may result in the closures of many of our fellow businesses and our community as a whole. In an effort to support our community, Celski Law will offer these Pro Bono services to these businesses in an effort to fight these new restrictions. Let’s keep our community thriving together!” – Celski Law Firm on Facebook