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5/7/2025 Independence Days Budget Questions & Answers
Q: What aspects of the 4th of July celebration are being considered for cancellation? Will it affect the entire event, or only specific elements such as the fireworks, parade, car show, or other festivities?A: The city is currently evaluating its ability to support any portion of the Independence Days Celebration beginning in Summer 2026 due to budget constraints and pending the resignation of the staff member who previously coordinated the event. That position will not be refilled under the proposed budget. No final decisions have been made, as the Budget Committee is still considering the Fiscal Year 2025–26 budget. City-supported components such as the fireworks and concerts are under review. The parade is organized independently by the Rotary and is not coordinated by the city.Q: What factors led to the decision not to fund the event moving forward? Were financial concerns the sole reason, or were there other contributing factors such as safety, staffing, or community engagement?A: The departure of our Downtown Manager, who coordinated Independence Days, is the immediate reason for re-evaluating how the event is delivered. Given the city’s broader financial challenges, we made the difficult choice not to refill that position to help close a $750,000 structural budget deficit. Without that position, we no longer have the internal staffing capacity to plan and manage an event that draws tens of thousands of visitors and requires months of preparation.Q: Was any community input or public feedback gathered before making this decision? If not, is there an opportunity to do so?A: Yes. Over the past several months, the city engaged in a comprehensive outreach effort to understand community priorities considering our financial challenges. This included town halls, a digital and hard-copy survey, and multiple public work sessions. This feedback has been vital in helping us assess how to align limited resources with community needs.Q: What is the estimated cost to host the full celebration? Can you provide figures for both past years and the current projected cost?A: The estimated cost to host the full Independence Days celebration in 2025 is about $332,000, with expected revenues of $217,400, resulting in a projected net loss of $115,000. For comparison, the 2024 event cost $315,465, brought in $242,472, and had a net loss of $72,993. A major portion of the expenses each year comes from staff time (public works, police, finance, tourism and events) to plan and run the event, about $148,805 in 2024 and an estimated $150,000 in 2025.Q: Can the city provide a breakdown of the losses or budget constraints that influenced this decision? For example, what specific costs have increased or become unsustainable?A: The city is facing a structural budget deficit of more than $750,000 driven by factors such as:- Inflation and increased service/personnel costs
- Property tax revenues are not keeping up with costs due to Oregon’s constitutional limits on property tax growth, which restrict our ability to keep up with increasing expenses.The city has been working to address it for several years by reducing department budgets, staff layoffs, leaving vacancies unfilled, and restructuring internal operations. The decision not to refill the Downtown Manager position is part of that broader strategy.Q: Were alternative options considered to reduce costs rather than cancel the event altogether? (e.g., shortening the event, seeking more volunteers, partnering with local businesses, or scaling back entertainment)A: Yes. City staff have explored multiple alternatives, including scaled-back versions of the event, additional partnerships, volunteer coordination, and cost-sharing models. However, the biggest issue is staffing—even a one-day event that draws 20,000 people requires significant planning and coordination.Q: What would be needed to bring the celebration back in future years? (e.g., funding goals, partnerships, volunteer or city resources)A: To continue the Independence Days celebration in future years, a new lead organization—such as a nonprofit, civic group, or business coalition—would need to take on primary responsibility for planning and coordination. This group would also need to secure sustainable funding through sponsorships, donations, grants, or other sources.In addition, the event would require a strong and committed base of volunteers to help with logistics, setup, and day-of operations. With these elements in place, the city is open to remaining involved in a limited support role, but would no longer serve as the primary organizer.Q: Is there an opportunity for community organizations, businesses, or residents to contribute or organize fundraising efforts to help sustain the event?A: Yes. Before the COVID pandemic, Independence Days was organized by a group of community volunteers, which kept costs low by avoiding personnel expenses. The city would gladly welcome a return to that model and encourages local residents, businesses, and organizations to step up and bring this event back as a true community-driven celebration once again.Q: Has the city considered forming a community task force or committee to help plan or support future celebrations?A: There is already an Independence Days Committee that works on planning and support, and we are deeply grateful for their efforts. Moving forward, we hope to expand collaboration with this group and others to explore how the event can continue with broader community involvement and reduced reliance on city funding.
5/3/2025 Regal Cinebarre Salem Set to Fade to Black by Month’s End
According to social media posts from current employees at Regal Cinebarre in downtown Salem, the theater is set to close at the end of the month, with its final day of business expected to be May 11, displacing approximately 50 employees.While no official statement has been released by Regal, its parent company, Cineworld Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2022. Since then, Regal Theaters has undergone major restructuring, which has included closing underperforming locations. According the theater's manager, the closure has been in the works since the filing of bankruptcy in 2022.Movie-goers who want to experience the cinema restaurant feel are encouraged to visit Cinebarre before their closure. An employee of 7 years says "...it sucks to not only be losing a job, but losing a business where I can connect and talk to all of you. I've enjoyed making your movie dates, family nights, or just a casual movie theater experience worthwhile."Another employee, Jamie Burton, who works as a bartender at the theater shared in a public Facebook post "This wasn’t just an income 9-5 job for me, I genuinely loved working at the Cinebarre so much and loved our team and planned on staying there for a very long time. Over the past three years this place came a second home to me and has blessed me to meet so many amazing people for life long connections and unforgettable times and really sculpted me into who I am."Salem is still home to 2 Regal Theaters among other small theaters such as Northern Lights Cinema and Salem Cinema. We have reached out to Regal for comment and are yet to hear back.
4/29/2025 - Robbie Kunke and Rudy’s Steakhouse: A Full Timeline of Lies, Exploitation, Financial Misconduct, and Wage Theft
𝗔 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗥𝘂𝗱𝘆'𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲: 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝗣𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙮𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙍𝙪𝙙𝙮'𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚. 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩'𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙧𝙪𝙗𝙩 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘼𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙡.Hi everyone, I’m sharing my firsthand experience working under Robbie Kunke, the owner of Rudy’s Steakhouse in Salem, Oregon; in light of the restaurant’s sudden closure and mishandling of employee paychecks.This isn’t just about late pay. It’s about exploitation, manipulation, financial misconduct, and legal violations that went unchecked for far too long.Here’s the full timeline and context:𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀:𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – Rudy’s Steakhouse is abruptly shut down by the city.
• Employees were given no notice. Most found out through Reddit or local news.
• This happened on what was supposed to be payday — no paychecks were issued.
𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟭𝟲–𝟮𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – Total silence from Robbie and investors.
• No communication about final paychecks, next steps, or support for staff.
𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – After growing pressure from employees, Robbie cites “bank issues” as the excuse for no pay.
• This was not new behavior — Robbie had a well-documented history of bounced checks and delayed vendor payments.
𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟮, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – Robbie claims final paychecks have been “mailed out.”
• No tracking information provided.
• No confirmation of addresses.
• As of the end of April, no former employees have received a paycheck.
𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – Employees attempt group follow-ups.
• Robbie again fails to verify when or where paychecks were supposedly sent.𝗢𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳:• Some employees were encouraged to invest in cryptocurrency under Robbie's guidance, despite no formal financial licensing.
• It was widely understood among staff that you could not bother Robbie on Sundays because he prioritized poker games over running the restaurant or addressing operational issues.
• Robbie purchased a Jeep for a employee — but failed to disclose when he defaulted on the Jeep loan just months before closure.
• The employee only discovered the default after the vehicle was repossessed without warning.
• Robbie provided no communication beforehand, leaving the employee to believe the vehicle had been stolen.
• When serious customer service issues occurred, they were often tied to the events coordinator not communicating with the kitchen or floor staff about private parties — Robbie refused to step in or mediate.
• Staff were left to clean up avoidable messes with no support, no communication, and no authority to resolve problems properly.
• This resulted in customers walking out without paying their invoice because Robbie refused to talk to them, even after they verbally requested to speak to him. We were advised to share the manager email with the disgruntled customer.𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁:Failure to Pay Final Wages (ORS 652.140):
Under Oregon law, final paychecks must be provided no later than the next business day after termination or closure. Robbie failed to meet this legal requirement.Employers are obligated to maintain communication about final wages and cannot simply disappear after business closure.Employees who are still unpaid are now considering formal action through the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) and small claims court.𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:• This wasn’t just financial mismanagement — it was a culture of exploitation, manipulation, and gross negligence that put young, loyal employees in vulnerable and damaging situations.
• Employees gave their time, skills, and loyalty to make Rudy’s successful. In return, they were lied to, left unpaid, and discarded without dignity or respect.𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗱𝘆’𝘀 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀:• Document everything — texts, schedules, pay stubs, emails.
• File a complaint with BOLI — Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries can assist with wage claims.
• Consider small claims court — it is a fast, affordable legal remedy.
• Speak out — silence only protects people like Robbie.𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗥𝗦 𝗪𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:In addition to the financial misconduct described above, it has now come to light that Robbie Kunke misreported employee wages to the IRS.Former employees were provided incorrect tax documents, with Robbie blaming QuickBooks for the discrepancies — despite it being the employer’s legal responsibility to ensure accurate tax reporting.This kind of misreporting can expose employees to IRS audits, tax penalties, and legal headaches through no fault of their own.Anyone affected should consider filing a formal complaint with the IRS using Form 3949-A (Information Referral) to protect themselves and trigger a potential federal investigation into Robbie’s actions.This goes beyond just unpaid wages — it’s wage fraud and tax misconduct at a federal level. If you are a former employee impacted by this situation, you have every right to take action.𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲:Robbie Kunke, if you’re reading this:
You built Rudy’s on the backs of hardworking people you exploited.
You abandoned those same people when it was no longer profitable for you.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀. 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱.
4/19/2025 - Anonymous Source Leaks Internal Rudy's Steakhouse Memo
"First and foremost- I want to thank everybody for what you have done for Rudy's Steakhouse and I'm sorry that there was nothing that could be communicated until now due to the sensitive nature of our negotiations.I need to start off by taking accountability for putting us in a position like this... I take full responsibility for allowing us to be put in a position where the city could exercise their right to terminate our existing lease.We are currently working on a pathway for Rudy's Steakhouse to reopen under different ownership with a handful of previously successful restauranteurs as investors in the very near future. I can't say more right now, but I would love to see Rudy's Steakhouse carry on, even if it is without me. I am and will continue working very hard to make this happen.We anticipated on being able to get back into our space immediately and my sole focus was dedicated to this earlier this week. This clearly didn't happen and we have been forced into a short term waiting game. I was just granted access to our space for the first time and have been working on getting paychecks printed all day and resolving other immediate admin issues from my new makeshift office at home.I know that everybody is frustrated and I have been and will continue working to resolve things as fast as possible and make everything right.It was just brought to my attention in the last few hours that some people had filed for unemployment and were given incorrect data. I immediately tried to contact the unemployment department, but they were "temporarily closed" today.On January 28th, we discovered an error with the W-2's that Quickbooks generated and had to have them amended. They informed me that the request would be completed within 20 days.I just got off the phone with Quickbooks to figure out why the state would have incorrect wages for employees if the W-2's were amended. They informed me that "this feature was only available to Elite Quickbooks subscribers" and NEVER INFORMED ME OF THIS PRIOR TO TODAY. I immediately upgraded our plan and they confirmed that this would get the correct information over to the state. I will follow up with the unemployment department first thing Monday
morning to make sure that they in fact did receive the correct data in order for employees to receive their proper unemployment compensation.Paychecks that were due on the day that we were locked out have been processed and mailed. If you contacted me about receiving your pay through another form, I will follow up with you right away. If you want to give formal notice that you voluntarily quit, we will obviously respect your decision. If you would like to remain a part of the new Rudy's Steakhouse team, keep Callie and myself in the loop and we will keep you posted on the next steps.I appreciate all of you and I am incredibly grateful to have such a phenomenal team.
I can't even find the right words to express how much it pains me for you all to have to go through this and I understand the anger and frustration that many of you feel towards me.All I can say is that I have been trying my best to navigate truly impossible circumstances and I will do everything in my power to revive Rudy's Steakhouse as fast as possible and make it right to everybody that has been with me on this journey that has been affected by all of this.I want to conclude by saying thank you to each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart and I look forward to the next chapter on the near horizon!"First and foremost- I want to thank everybody for what you have done for Rudy's Steakhouse and I'm sorry that there was nothing that could be communicated until now due to the sensitive nature of our negotiations.I need to start off by taking accountability for putting us in a position like this... I take full responsibility for allowing us to be put in a position where the city could exercise their right to terminate our existing lease.We are currently working on a pathway for Rudy's Steakhouse to reopen under different ownership with a handful of previously successful restauranteurs as investors in the very near future. I can't say more right now, but I would love to see Rudy's Steakhouse carry on, even if it is without me. I am and will continue working very hard to make this happen.We anticipated on being able to get back into our space immediately and my sole focus was dedicated to this earlier this week. This clearly didn't happen and we have been forced into a short term waiting game. I was just granted access to our space for the first time and have been working on getting paychecks printed all day and resolving other immediate admin issues from my new makeshift office at home.I know that everybody is frustrated and I have been and will continue working to resolve things as fast as possible and make everything right.It was just brought to my attention in the last few hours that some people had filed for unemployment and were given incorrect data. I immediately tried to contact the unemployment department, but they were "temporarily closed" today.On January 28th, we discovered an error with the W-2's that Quickbooks generated and had to have them amended. They informed me that the request would be completed within 20 days.I just got off the phone with Quickbooks to figure out why the state would have incorrect wages for employees if the W-2's were amended. They informed me that "this feature was only available to Elite Quickbooks subscribers" and NEVER INFORMED ME OF THIS PRIOR TO TODAY. I immediately upgraded our plan and they confirmed that this would get the correct information over to the state. I will follow up with the unemployment department first thing Monday
morning to make sure that they in fact did receive the correct data in order for employees to receive their proper unemployment compensation.Paychecks that were due on the day that we were locked out have been processed and mailed. If you contacted me about receiving your pay through another form, I will follow up with you right away. If you want to give formal notice that you voluntarily quit, we will obviously respect your decision. If you would like to remain a part of the new Rudy's Steakhouse team, keep Callie and myself in the loop and we will keep you posted on the next steps.I appreciate all of you and I am incredibly grateful to have such a phenomenal team.
I can't even find the right words to express how much it pains me for you all to have to go through this and I understand the anger and frustration that many of you feel towards me.All I can say is that I have been trying my best to navigate truly impossible circumstances and I will do everything in my power to revive Rudy's Steakhouse as fast as possible and make it right to everybody that has been with me on this journey that has been affected by all of this.I want to conclude by saying thank you to each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart and I look forward to the next chapter on the near horizon!Robbie Kunke - Owner of Rudy's Steakhouse
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