Hundreds of San Francisco bars voted Monday to recommend requiring vaccines for patrons, and now restaurant owners are poised to join the movement.
According to a survey of San Francisco restaurants this week, a majority support requiring vaccination to dine or work inside a restaurant.
Of the 231 restaurants that responded to the Golden Gate Restaurant Association’s survey, 63% said they would back an indoor vaccination requirement for both customers and employees. Nearly 66% said they would also support an indoor mask requirement. And just under 60% are already requiring their workers to be fully vaccinated, according to the survey.
And the restaurant association is "strongly" recommending that others follow suit, mandating that their staff get the vaccine and that masks be worn inside by staff, customers, delivery drivers and vendors.
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association stopped short, however, of recommending that restaurants ask customers for proof of vaccination, despite a growing number of businesses that are amidst the growing Delta variant risk.
"Verifying vaccination status presents many challenges for the restaurant community," said the association in a statement. "Staff members are not trained to verify vaccination statuses; restaurant spaces are often porous with numerous entrances where customers, delivery drivers and vendors are coming and going; and there are questions about the logistics of checking vaccination status and the potential for customer conflicts."
The survey only allowed for a yes or no response, so a significant number of restaurants are opposed to any additional mandates.