Restaurants may never have imagined they’d be required someday to check the vaccination status of customers and employees, yet that obligation is already in place within four of the industry’s major metro markets, with more widely expected to follow. Even in areas that have yet to propose a vaccination mandate, operators are watching New York City, San Francisco, New Orleans and Philadelphia for a read on what to expect if the idea continues to spread.
Those observers likely noticed that reactions to the trend have been as varied as the requirements themselves (San Francisco requires guests to have two shots, while New York only mandates one). In areas where mandates are already a reality, some operators have dispatched their lawyers to roll back the clock, while others are welcoming the obligation in hopes it will avert a return to the capacity restrictions of 2020.
Here’s a sampling of operators’ responses to what seemed like an unimaginable responsibility just 19 months ago, along with a preview of how some of the programs are intended to work.
With vaccine mandates a reality, restaurants push for acceptance (winsightmedia.com)
NYC restaurateurs sue to block the city's vaccine mandate (restaurantbusinessonline.com)
How NYC’s vaccination mandate will work—or at least should (restaurantbusinessonline.com)
How restaurants view vaccination mandates (restaurantbusinessonline.com)
Why restaurants should care about vaccine passports (restaurantbusinessonline.com)
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