2 S.F. restaurants require booster shots for patrons
Two San Francisco restaurants, institution Zuni Cafe and Outer Richmond spot Cassava, appear to be among the first restaurants in the country to require customers to show proof of a COVID-19 booster shot to dine indoors.
Cassava’s requirement went into effect Wednesday and Zuni’s will start next Wednesday. Zuni will still allow customers who are not yet eligible for a booster shot to dine indoors, as well as children 4 years old and younger. In San Francisco, anyone 16 and older can get the third shot after at least six months of receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
(Following online publication of this story, the owner of Oakland bars Palmetto and the Kon-Tiki said bar seating at both businesses will be restricted to customers who show proof of boosters starting Monday.)
Few restaurants have adopted booster mandates to date, but more could be on the horizon. In New York City, prominent restaurateur Danny Meyer announced Wednesday that all restaurants in his Union Square Hospitality
“I think it’s a reasonable action for every county in the Bay Area to take.” Nate Norris, Zuni chef, of requiring booster shots for indoor dining
Group will require the third shot for indoor dining in January. Staff members must get the booster within 30 days of becoming eligible. Chicago cafe Baker Miller started requiring boosters for both dine-in customers and staff but closed its dining room a day later, citing pushback.
Zuni and Cassava’s restrictions come as the highly infectious omicron variant surges in the Bay Area, prompting a growing wave of temporary restaurant closures and employee infections. In San Francisco,
case rates have doubled over the past five days, almost certainly due to the spread of omicron, said Dr. Grant Colfax, head of the Department of Public Health. The omicron variant is now the most dominant strain in the U.S., making up more than 73% of new coronavirus cases, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Studies increasingly are showing that omicron is better able to evade vaccine immunity than previous variants and can infect even those who are fully vaccinated. The booster, though, appears to prevent serious illness.
Zuni chef Nate Norris said the decision was an easy one in light of this emerging science about omicron.
“I really don’t want our public health policies ... to be exclusive. But if we’re trying to balance being exclusionary with this policy versus are we ultimately protecting health, I think the science is really clear,” he said.
Zuni will also require the booster shot for all employees. About half of the staff at the longtime restaurant have already received the booster, Norris said. Those who haven’t and are eligible will be required to get the shot or make an appointment by Jan. 12. They created a longer timeline for staff because workers keep their masks on inside the restaurant, while diners take them off to eat and drink, Norris said.
Yuka Ioroi, owner of Cassava on Balboa Street, said she made the decision both to protect her employees’ health and to keep the restaurant afloat. With rain in the forecast and temperatures dropping, fewer diners want to eat at Cassava’s parklet.
“We just need this option available at this time,” Ioroi said of indoor dining.
All Cassava employees have received the booster shot, she said.
Ioroi posted an informal poll to Cassava’s Instagram yesterday, asking followers whether they supported a booster mandate for indoor dining. The majority said it would make them feel safer.
Both Ioroi and Norris said they’re not concerned about customer pushback, given they’ve set more cautious restrictions throughout the pandemic. At Zuni, Norris said the new policy isn’t set in stone; if case rates improve — or worsen — the restaurant will adapt.
A spokesperson for the San Francisco Department of Public Health told The Chronicle that it doesn’t have an update on the topic of requiring boosters for indoor dining. Some restaurant owners said they would prefer the backing of a citywide requirement rather than make their own decision.
Norris, for his part, urged all local public health officials to move to a booster mandate for indoor dining.
“I think it’s a reasonable action for every county in the Bay Area to take,” he said. “That’s something we should be demanding of our public officials and to not be afraid of the pushback.”
The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, meanwhile, is now recommending that restaurants require employees to get the booster shot “as soon as possible.”
“We can not underscore enough the importance of all San Franciscans taking advantage of the free and widely available boosters and testing sites as these represent our best hope to avoid the damaging consequences of any future closures and shutdowns,” executive director Laurie Thomas said in a statement.