Making LA Businesses Enforce COVID-19 Mandates is Bad For Business
A hospitality industry advocacy organization called the Independent Hospitality Coalition, or IHC, released a survey showing that a majority of hospitality business owners and operators support mandatory vaccinations or a negative COVID-19 test for all customers dining inside and for all employees. The survey also showed that more than 71% of those responding to the survey are concerned about enforcing a vaccination mandate.
When asked about the biggest issues facing restaurants and bars today, almost three-quarters responded that it was hiring and retaining employees, with less than 10% concerned with enforcing mask mandates.
“The survey results from our members throughout Los Angeles show that a majority agree with mandatory vaccinations or negative COVID tests for employees and customers looking to dine inside, similar to the proposals being debated by the County of Los Angeles and numerous cities,” stated Adam Englander, Executive Director of the IHC.
“However, a large majority are concerned that enforcement will fall on restaurant operators, many of whom are not fully staffed and do not want to be in the situation of policing customers’ activities. Any ordinance should focus on emphasizing awareness over heavyhanded enforcement forced to be performed by small businesses.”
IHC pointed out that Los Angeles does not have any central digital or physical vaccination proof standard, with no common way to determine if proof of vaccination is real.
“The IHC is encouraged by programs such as the collaboration announced between OpenTable and CLEAR, which would create a checkpoint before reservations are made at many restaurants,” the group said in a released statement.
The IHC expects other similar systems to be in place before restaurants can be expected to enforce these mandates.
Englander noted, of greater concern to many IHC members is the inability to hire and retain employees, which has resulted in many restaurants cutting hours or days of operation.
According to a recent Black Box Intelligence survey (a company that produces human capital analytics) — despite increased wages — more than two-thirds of current and former restaurant workers said disrespect from customers is a factor in the current labor shortage. Englander added, forcing employees to act as vaccination police will only compound these issues as many will take their anger out on them instead of those creating these policies.