Restaurants are becoming the new Covid-19 vaccine enforcement officers, for better or for worse

Restaurateurs and hosts are given a new job – policing vaccinations – and it’s dividing businesses and customers.

Some US municipalities are asking restaurants, bars and other businesses to check the vaccine status of customers against Covid-19 before they can dine or drink indoors, just as some European countries have started to do. The local warrants come as some bars and restaurants have voluntarily started asking customers to prove their immunization status, including a growing number in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Some restaurateurs checking the vaccination status of diners or a negative Covid-19 test say that the practices – – intended to help move beyond the pandemic – – introduce new logistics.

Customers canceled reservations and got angry when they showed up without knowing the new rules, some owners said. Some online reviews of their restaurants are now denouncing the new policies. Other owners say they and their staff have received anonymous threats from people who accuse them of violating individual freedoms and discriminating against unvaccinated people.

“People are yelling at us over the phone. They say racist things. It’s all about the vaccines, ”said James Lim, owner of Watson’s Counter restaurant and cafe in the Seattle suburb of Ballard, Wash.