Some San Jose bar owners require proof of vaccination

If you want to have a drink in San Jose, you may soon have to show you have a COVID-19 photo – just like San Francisco.

Haberdasher, a sweatshop-themed bar in downtown San Jose, announced a day after the state reopened that it would require proof of vaccination to enter. A banner on the bar’s website reads, “No proof, no entry. “

The owner, Cache Bouren, came up with the idea for a podcast that suggested business owners check vaccination cards on entry. As the state’s reopening date approached, he polled his workers to see if they supported the idea.

“The second I mentioned it, the entire crew was on board,” Bouren told the San José Spotlight.

While Bouren employees support the policy, customers have not received it as well. He said he received threatening emails and Haberdasher closed his Yelp page due to one-star reviews from customers unhappy with the bar’s demands.

In one case, Bouren said he received a threatening phone call from a motorcycle gang of more than 20 members who promised to come forward – unvaccinated – challenging bar workers to prevent them from entering.

The gang never came.

“I’m sick of these trolls,” Bouren said. “And these are just people coming in to make their stupid, politically motivated comments. For me, it was never a question of politics. It’s just about protecting the health of my staff because without them I wouldn’t have a business at all. “

San Jose bars aren’t the only watering holes in the Bay Area that require proof of vaccination upon entry.

The San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, a loose association of about 500 owners in about 300 bars, jointly made a decision on Monday to require customers to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to enter. Negative tests or vaccination cards are not required for people sitting outside.

Each bar will be responsible for determining how to enforce requirements, which could include asking customers to show their immunization cards or use California’s electronic vaccine verification system.

The SF Bar Owner Alliance, representing hundreds of establishments, will require proof of vaccination or a 72-hour negative test for all customers inside. pic.twitter.com/x0DgTYad2q

– Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) July 26, 2021

Ben Bleiman, president of the bar alliance, said the decision, fueled by frustration, was easy to make.

“One thing that came out very clearly from the conversations we had was how frustrated our group members were with these idiots who weren’t getting vaccines. Those who can, but choose not to, ”Bleiman said. “If you think you know more than all the data and all the scientific experts, you are narcissistic. “

A recent rise in COVID infections has forced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its mask guidelines, recommending people wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Santa Clara County also recommends that residents mask themselves indoors.

As positive infections rise again statewide, spurred by the highly contagious Delta variant, California lawmakers and business owners are considering the recommendation. Experts say, however, that “revolutionary” cases, or infections in people who have been vaccinated, are rare and almost always accompanied by mild symptoms.

While there isn’t a similar bar alliance in San Jose, the owners encourage each other to have voluntary policies in place.

7 Stars Bar & Grill, a “Star Wars” themed pub on Bascom Avenue just outside the upscale Santana Row neighborhood, opened last week after it cautiously posted a YouTube video indicating their intention to do so. ‘require proof of vaccination to enter.

“I thought there would be more reaction. I was nervous, ”said Marya Cunha, who owns 7 stars with her husband, Paul. “The idea that if we were responsible for an epidemic that made people sick, it would have taken a heavy toll on us.”

The couple told the San José Spotlight that they haven’t had any issues with customers about the requirement. They have actually seen an increase in the number of customers who visit the bar specifically because of the requirement.

In the absence of a real government mandate from local authorities, some bar owners say their hands are tied.

Eric Nielsen, owner of SP2, a bar and restaurant in the San Pedro Square Market in downtown San Jose, says the burden of making sure his workers are safe is overwhelming. While he has no policy in place requiring proof of vaccination to enter, he says he will if the number of cases continues to rise and his priority is the safety of his workers and staff. clients.

Regardless of whether people want to be vaccinated or not, he says the local government needs to step up its efforts.

“I really wish the county or the government would do their job and just say if you want to go eat inside you need proof of vaccination,” Nielsen said. “But now they want all the responsibility to fall on the owner of the business… If that’s what you think is best for the public good, why isn’t that the rule? It makes no sense why I am the harbinger of good news and bad news.

Contact Lloyd Alaban at [email protected] or follow @lloydalaban on Twitter.