Operations

NRA raises concerns on NYC restaurant vaccination rule

Photo by istock.com

August 3, 2021

New York City's requirement, announced Tuesday, that restaurants check for vaccination proof of customers wanting to eat indoors is drawing more than one concern from the National Restaurant Association.

The restaurant industry group claims the vaccination mandate will require additional staff training and draw backlash from employees. The group also seeks clear guidance on how to conduct vaccination checks.

"The National Restaurant Association and the restaurant industry support vaccination for everyone because higher vaccination rates are our best bet for containing the spread of COVID-19," Larry Lynch, senior VP of science and industry for the NRA, said in a statement Tuesday. "Now, without training, our staff members are expected to check the vaccine status of every customer wanting to eat inside the establishment. Last year when mask mandates across the country were put in place, restaurant workers suffered terrifying backlash when enforcing those rules. The association's ServSafe experts had to go so far as to create a conflict de-escalation training module to support those front-of-house workers dealing with customer push-back. We hope that the city will take this into consideration and will work with us to ensure there is clear guidance and support for our workforce."

Lynch said the move by New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio "will require significant changes for how restaurants are operating in the city by putting the responsibility for verifying vaccination status of employees and customers on the operator. Checking vaccination status isn't like IDing a customer before serving them a drink — staff receive training on how to do that."

Up until this past Monday New York City's top leader had been hesitant regarding a mandate to check vaccination of indoor dining customers. The decision Tuesday is to put greater pressure on residents to get vaccinated and the requirement will go into effect later this month, according to a New York Times report.

New York City is the first in the U.S. to mandate vaccination proof for indoor dining, gyms and event performances.

"It's time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life," DeBlasio said at a news conference, according to the Times.