Some bars are requiring proof of vaccination

Business owners adopting rules to keep their employees, customers safe as cases rise

Business owners for some bars and restaurants are adopting rules to keep their employees, customers safe.

Want to sip a craft cocktail or a rare whiskey in Haberdasher’s subterranean speakeasy?

Be prepared to be carded — for proof of vaccination.

The hip downtown San Jose bar is among the Bay Area establishments adopting — or considering — new policies that require customers to show that they’ve been vaccinated before eating or imbibing indoors. In Oakland, Eli’s Mile High Club has a strict mandate and the owners of two other businesses will put a similar plan into effect soon. And there’s the potential for more, with the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, which represents 300 bars, now weighing a vaccine requirement.

The moves come as the COVID-19 delta variant is fueling a rise in cases in California, which on June 15 dropped all color-coded restrictions on businesses and social gatherings.

Just a day after those restrictions were lifted, Haberdasher owner Cache Bouren implemented the vaccine requirement when his bar reopened for in-person service — after talking over the matter with his employees.

“I’m not doing this to be political,” he said. “The fact is that we have an enclosed space with low ceilings and no windows. I don’t want my staff putting their lives at risk so someone can get a drink. It’s not an unreasonable thing to ask at all.”

At Haberdasher, customers — who are encouraged to make advance reservations — must show a vaccination card (or smartphone photo of one) along with an ID that matches the vaccination name and date of birth. Customers who don’t have both won’t be allowed into the basement bar.

Business was brisk Thursday evening, with customers expressing support for the policy.

“I think it’s a good idea to keep people protected with this new delta variant,” said vaccinated customer Shweta Trehan, of San Jose, who was sipping a Watermelon Jive cocktail with her group.

Another customer, part of a happy-hour group of eight from a local law firm, said in other bars one would be left to wonder about the vaccination status of people drinking nearby. “Who is not being forthright?” he said.

In Oakland, the owners of the Palmetto restaurant and the Kon-Tiki bar are slowly getting their clientele accustomed to their mandate plans. For now, unvaccinated guests are welcome as long as they keep their mask on when not eating or drinking. Show proof of vaccination, and you can go mask-free for your time inside. “No vaccine = mask on,” their website says.

However, starting Aug. 2, “proof of vaccine or a negative COVID test in the past 72 hours will be required for all guests,” reads the policy, which points to the state website, https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov, for those who want to pull up proof on their phone. If you don’t want to get vaccinated, “feel free to stay home,” the owners say on their Facebook page.

That may be the message soon at many San Francisco watering holes, depending on the outcome of the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance’s discussions. According to founder Ben Bleiman, members are considering an inoculation policy and could announce a decision as early as Monday.

Billy Joe Agan, owner of Eli’s Mile High Club, was among the first Bay Area bar owners to test the waters back in May by announcing a vaccine requirement and asking customers to sign up on a contract-tracing list. Despite some blow-back on social media, he’s stuck with the policy. Will others follow suit? Steve Sinchek, owner of the Old Pro sports bar in Palo Alto, said, “I’m more of the ‘let adults make adult decisions’ camp. Be responsible.”

And South Bay restaurateur Randy Musterer of Sushi Confidential wondered whether negative publicity would deter bars from requiring proof of vaccination.

Haberdasher’s Bouren said the mandate has been polarizing for sure, with some sharp complaints on Yelp that compared the policy to Nazi Germany. And bartender Jacob Lopez has fielded some phone calls from anti-vaxxers. “We try to kill them with kindness. Not everyone is going to like the decision,” Lopez said.

But Bouren and general manager Tomoyo Yoshinaga also have heard from regulars and other customers who not only appreciate the requirement but actually chose to visit Haberdasher because of it.

“Some of them are excited to present their vaccination card,” Yoshinaga said. “They say, ‘I did it! Now I can use it.’ “