Dive Brief:
- Union Square Hospitality Group will require all guests to show proof of being fully vaccinated beginning Sept. 7, according to the company's website. All team members will also be required to be fully vaccinated as well.
- Customers will need to bring their COVID-19 vaccine cards, a New York State Excelsior pass, relevant state-provided vaccine pass or a photo of their vaccination cards upon arrival.
- USHG becomes one of the largest fine dining restaurant groups to issue a vaccine mandate for both customers and staff as the COVID-19 Delta variant surges across the U.S.
Dive Insight:
USHG's announcement comes a few day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings in areas with substantial or high transmission rates. But requiring proof of vaccinations is going a step further.
"We feel like we have an amazing responsibility to keep our staff members and our guests safe and that is what we’re going to do," USHG CEO Danny Meyer told CNBC's Squawk Box on Thursday.
The policy could help stem the spread of COVID-19 at its restaurants so they can continue to operate even as the latest variant spreads quickly. During the early days of the pandemic, the company's revenues tanked, and it had to lay off 2,000 employees.
The mandate also follows recommendations from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to have private businesses require workers to get vaccinated. A handful of independent restaurants across New York began requiring proof of vaccinations for guests in early summer.
Other associations and cities are urging restaurants and bars to consider mask mandates as well. San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance said participating bars should ask customers for proof of vaccinations or a 72-hour negative COVID-19. A growing list of restaurants in San Francisco are also requiring proof of vaccinations from its guests.
While requiring vaccination proof comes from a mindset of safety, it isn't sitting well with all customers. Businesses are seeing one-star reviews on Yelp and online attacks from unvaccinated people.
