These New Orleans Restaurants Now Require Proof of Vaccination to Fight COVID, Stay Open | Where NOLA eats

Following the lead of some top local artists and concert halls, New Orleans’ first restaurants have joined the list of companies requiring customers to show proof of vaccination.

The Oak Street Cowbell burger spot passed its policy on Thursday, requiring proof of vaccination from patrons who dine inside; people sitting outside will not need to show proof of vaccination.

French Quarter restaurant and wine bar Effervescence announced a similar policy change from Friday for indoor dining. And in the Warehouse District, steakhouse La Boca will begin its own vaccination requirement policy on Tuesday.

Other local restaurant and bar operators said they were considering similar policies but had not finalized their plans.

“It’s safer for us, and it’s safer for everyone,” said Crystal Hinds, owner of Effervescence. “I hope that by taking this step, the artists, the places and the restaurant community, we will prevent a closure. I don’t know how many of our businesses could survive another shutdown if that were the case. “

Restaurant owners recognize that this move could result in the loss of business for people who are not vaccinated or who are outraged by their policies. However, they say they want to help end the wave of viruses faster while keeping their businesses open and people working.

“It can cost us dearly, but at the end of the day we protect ourselves, and if we can do it we won’t have to shut down,” said Adolfo Garcia, owner of La Boca.

The new policies come as the delta variant causes a record number of new infections in Louisiana, with the vast majority of cases reported among people who have not been vaccinated. The wave is again straining the capacity of local hospitals, jeopardizing the availability of medical care for everyone if hospitals are overwhelmed.

Public health officials say the delta variant can also infect fully vaccinated people, which now accounts for about 8% of new cases in Louisiana. However, the vaccine remained effective in preventing serious illness in most of these cases; vaccinated people currently account for about 11% of hospitalizations, according to state statistics.

Thanks to this increase, a growing number of restaurants and bars have temporarily closed after learning of positive COVID tests among staff or customers. In most cases, these companies reopen a day or two later after testing the rest of the staff.

State officials have so far only issued notices of resuming the use of indoor masks, along with increasingly desperate calls for people to get vaccinated to curb the outbreak. On Friday afternoon, New Orleans reinstated a mask mandate, calling for the use of masks in public places around the city.

But businesses and individuals have taken their own voluntary steps, including these new vaccination requirements.

Last week, Melissa “DJ Soul Sister” Weber said she would need proof of vaccination to attend her popular dance parties at Hi-Ho Lounge. Days later, Tipitina’s music clubs, Maple Leaf Bar and dba jointly announced their own policies requiring either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result, starting this weekend.

“It’s really this town’s business for me, the hospitality, the music, the food, we have to be able to do it safely,” said Cowbell owner Brack May. “I know this has become political, but we should be done with it now. I don’t want us to miss the Jazz Fest again.

More and more hotel companies across the country have done the same. This includes hundreds of bars in San Francisco represented by the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance. This industry group said this week that its members will begin the requirement for customers who wish to drink indoors.

Closely watched New York restaurateur Danny Meyer has also announced proof of vaccination requirements for his company’s full-service restaurants, though that doesn’t include his Shake Shack burger chain as it uses a serving model at the counter. Shake Shack has multiple locations in the New Orleans area.

For Hinds, who has grandchildren, seeing the number of cases increase in children recently made the decision more urgent.

“I know that a business can’t make a big difference, but I feel like I have to do something,” she said. “The only way I can sleep at night is knowing that we are doing everything we can to keep people safe and to keep our business open.

Hinds said she reached out to people who had already booked to inform them of the policy change. Most told her they were ok with it, she said, while a few reservations canceled as a result.

“But they said they would be back when we change the policy,” she said. “Not everyone will think the same way, but you can disagree with a decision and still respect it. “