Martha Fletcher owns two Irish pubs in Seattle, where she and her staff pride themselves on providing solid hospitality.
Today, though, following updated government mask-wearing guidance that allows fully vaccinated people to ditch their masks, Fletcher is certain she’s going to be the bad guy.
“We’re pretty much bound to piss off someone,” said Fletcher, owner of Cairde Public House and Blarney Stone Pub. “We just don’t know what to do. It’s kind of a rough one. We know that people who aren’t vaccinated are going to say they’re vaccinated.”
So, for at least the next couple of weeks, Fletcher is keeping up the mask-wearing signs and procedures at her establishments. Her employees are vaccinated, but they’ll also keep wearing their masks—for now.
“There is no way to make everyone happy,” she said.
The surprise announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Thursday that fully vaccinated people only need to wear masks in a very few situations signals a major turning point in America’s fight against the pandemic. But it also puts business owners in a difficult situation of balancing what they think is right for their operation versus what customers might prefer.
Restaurant operators “have the option of determining how best to enforce the new guidance,” Larry Lynch, National Restaurant Association senior vice president of Science and Industry, said in a statement.
“Because restaurants welcome people who are both vaccinated and not fully vaccinated, operators will still need to work with their state and local regulators to ensure they are in line with other mandates in place,” Lynch wrote.
At least 10 states have rolled back their mask mandates in the wake of the CDC’s update. Restaurants large and small are mulling how to proceed.
And that puts restaurants in a bit of a quandary over whether to keep requiring masks and how to know whether diners have been vaccinated.
Starbucks, for example, has said it will continue to require masks in its coffee shops as it re-evaluates its policy.
Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants will leave mask-wearing decisions up to diners, CEO Laura Rea Dickey said in a statement.
“Our Pit Crew team members wear masks as part of our enhanced food handling standards, and we are considering continuing this on an ongoing basis,” Dickey said. “We want folks to dine with us as they feel comfortable, so while we encourage masks, especially for those who are not yet vaccinated, we won’t be changing any policies and will leave the decision to wear or not wear a mask up to our guests.”
Wing chain Wingers USA said it is “moving slowly” on changing its mask protocols since it has restaurants in several states with different rules.
“In some states, the mask requirement has not been in place for a few weeks now,” Wingers CEO and co-founder Eric Slaymaker said in a statement. “In those cases, many servers are continuing to wear a mask, and we always make sure that if a table asks for their server to wear a mask, we gladly and readily comply.”
Tinku Saini, CEO and co-founder of fast casual Tarka Indian Kitchen, said some employees expressed “trepidation” when diners stopped wearing masks once the mandate was lifted in Texas several weeks ago.
“Vaccines are readily available now, so if there is still some concern, we’re encouraging our employees to get vaccinated to keep themselves safe,” Saini said in a statement.
Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said he is waiting for the state’s governor and Chicago’s mayor to announce whether they’ll be dialing back their mask mandates to be in line with CDC guidance—a move that’s expected in the coming days.
“Keeping people safe is what restaurants do every day,” Toia said. “Restaurant operators are the ultimate entrepreneurs. Their No. 1 concern is the health and safety of team members and guests.”
Seattle chef Eric Rivera just re-opened his restaurant, Addo, to limited on-premise dining Friday night for the first time since the pandemic began.
Addo’s website is very clear about expectations for diners: They must present proof of vaccination when they arrive. No refunds for the prepaid dinners are available for those who do not comply.
“I have control over what happens in my space,” Rivera said. “All of our stuff is by ticket only. That allows me to kind of lay out what we do and how we do it.”
He admits that his direct approach has likely cost him business.
“The guests that buy it are appreciative,” Rivera said. “I’m not trying to sell to everybody.”