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This time, operators simply can’t find enough healthy employees to staff their kitchens and dining rooms for service as the highly contagious omicron variant runs like wildfire through restaurants.

The coffee giant will “strongly encourage” its employees to get vaccinated by Feb. 9. Those that don’t will have to pay for their own tests.

Earlier this week, Baker Miller said it would require proof of booster shots for dine-in customers. But the café’s owners decided to shut the dining room entirely after receiving threats from anti-vaxxers.

Seven Union Square Hospitality Group restaurants are closed until later this month and the multi-concept group will be requiring booster shots for eligible employees immediately, with diners requiring a booster starting Jan. 24.

Boston and Chicago are both limiting dine-in service to guests who can prove they've been vaccinated against COVID-19, and Oakland is expected to follow.

Surging COVID cases among employees and customers are forcing restaurants to temporarily shut down during what is typically a busy holiday season. And the new year brings more uncertainty.

Employees will now have until Jan. 10 to provide proof of vaccination, and until Feb. 9 if they opt for testing.

The longtime restaurant leader intends to retire in May. Here's how his thinking has influenced a casual-dining giant—if not the industry itself, according to RB's Reality Check.

Elsewhere in the world, service limits are being imposed on restaurants again. But in the U.S., officials are relying on vaccination and mask mandates to avoid caps on seating and hours of operation. At least until now.

The measure takes effect Wednesday and will run for at least a month.