Vaccine Mandate in NYC Restaurants… I was braced for blowback, but got thanked instead.
I’m a bartender at Peter McManus Cafe in New York City, where customers have to show proof of at least one vaccine dose to be allowed to eat or drink inside a restaurant. We’ve all read the stories of people screeching their outrage over the mandate— how the government is overreaching and stomping on “freedoms,” about the impossibility of enforcement, about how bartenders should not be made to “police” customers. There was even a story about a hostess on the Upper West Side who was assaulted over the vaccine mandate, but let me tell you my experience.
On September 13, the first day the “Key to NYC” vaccine mandate was being enforced, I was working the day shift. I greeted my first customer and asked to see his proof of vaccination. “I’m from Florida,” he laughed, “We don’t do that.” I explained that he was in New York City now, and that if he wasn’t vaccinated, he was going to have to take it outside. (At McManus, outdoor tables are provided to accommodate the unvaccinated, or people who just prefer to sit outside) “Oh, come on…I can’t even sit at the bar? Are you serious?” he asked sulkily. “As serious as Covid,” I replied, and showed him the door. (Frankly — I wasn’t sorry to see the back of him.) The next few customers came in and presented their vaccination cards, remarking about how strange it all felt, but these were strange times we were living in. Strange indeed, no debate there.
Later in the afternoon, three young people came in and when I asked to see their vaccination cards, they replied, “Oh, we’re not staying, we just want to hang a poster in your window stating that your restaurant doesn’t discriminate — we love it here— that’s okay, right?” They all smiled warmly. (A little TOO warmly; something smelled rotten. ) “Let me see it,” I replied. They reluctantly unrolled their poster:
“WE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE against any customer based on SEX, GENDER, RACE,CREED AGE, vaccinated and unvaccinated. All customers who wish to patronize are welcome in our establishment.”
I showed those sneaky, sketchy, smiling anti-vaxxers the door.
But that was pretty much it in terms of pushback. It’s been just over two weeks now, and most customers present their proof before I ask, and thank me for checking. This may have to do with the fact that we are located in Chelsea, where the vaccination rate is about 94%. But even the old-timers were eager to show their proof of vaccination so they could claim their rightful perch at the bar. Change does not come easy at McManus — the phone booths and cash registers and regulars who’ve been drinking there for 50 years can attest to that—but by and large, people are grateful to be able to sit and relax over a burger and beer at their favorite bar, and not worry. One afternoon a customer had a sneezing fit— one of those episodes that goes on and on, and after the first couple of “Bless you’s!” it got ridiculous, so I called out gaily “No worries — she’s vaccinated!” And we all laughed, and toasted the vaccine.
Yes, there are breakthrough infections, and yes, the Delta variant is highly contagious, but the data has shown that those vaccinated are less likely to transmit or suffer seriously from Covid.
So get vaccinated and get to a restaurant — and tell them Eileen (the cranky waitress) sent you.