‘It’s been a nightmare’: anti-vaccines punish British Columbia restaurants that play by the rules

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British Columbia restaurants are experiencing unfortunate repercussions by following the new provincial health regulations.

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Anti-vaccines are harassing restaurants for complying with BC’s proof of vaccination program, while take-out companies face the misguided ire of those who apparently do not know that the vaccine passport does not apply to its restaurants.

When Barrique Kitchen and Wine Bar began sharing information online about BC’s “vaccine passport” before it went into effect on September 13, the White Rock restaurant was “bombarded by people calling us Nazis and Communists and telling us they were going to drag our business through the mud, “said chef and owner Josiah Tam.

“It was a nightmare.”

Shortly after the passport program began, Tam said, the restaurant experienced a wave of fake reservations: People provided fake phone numbers to reserve tables and then didn’t show up.

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“Last weekend, it came to a head. On Friday and Saturday, we had a total of 28 expected guests who were bogus reservations, ”said Tam. “For us, that’s a couple thousand dollars in lost sales in a weekend.”

After that, Barrique began requiring a deposit of $ 10 per guest to “remove” the fakes, Tam said. The deposit is deducted from the bill after the meal and is non-refundable if canceled less than 24 hours in advance.

The good news, Tam said, is that his new policy appears to be working and the bogus bookings have dwindled.

Even before COVID-19, the hospitality business was tough at best, with tight margins and a lot of risk. The pandemic has only made things more difficult as restaurants and bars grapple with labor shortages and the ever-changing back and forth of closings and reopens and restrictions.

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Earlier this year, Postmedia reported that no-shows and reservation cancellations were a growing concern because restaurant capacity had been reduced due to COVID, and some companies were eliminating reservations entirely.

“None of the restrictions or mandates have been fun or easy for us, at all. They have all hurt our business. But I also prefer to end this, and if this is what he is going to do, I agree with that, ”said Tam. “The safety of our staff is also of great concern at this time. They are great people who are just trying to come and do their job, and the prospect that they might have to deal with some angry guest who wants to make a point about passports is frustrating. “

While many BC restaurants have found that customers understand and support vaccine passports, Tam is not the only owner facing harassment. A Mission restaurant owner recently said Global News received death threats for the matter.

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Even before the province announced last month the vaccine passport requirement for non-essential businesses like restaurants, the BC Restaurant and Food Service Association and many of BC’s other major business groups had asked the provincial government to will implement such a program, and hotel industry associations have done so. supported him ever since.

“Unfortunately, this vaccination card seems to bring out the worst in some people,” said Ian Tostenson, executive director of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association. “I just don’t understand his thinking.”

Tostenson said he believes some 60 to 70 restaurants are openly defying provincial health orders. While that’s a small fraction, less than 0.5 percent, of BC’s 15,000 foodservice businesses, “it makes us very angry,” Tostenson said. “He’s off the game. … If I said the real word, I probably wouldn’t be able to publish it. “

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Tostenson said his organization has been pressuring the province to crack down on rule breakers and he hopes enforcement will increase soon.

Meanwhile, misinformation continues to spread on social media. Some anti-science and vaccine internet users have posted online lists of restaurants that allegedly don’t review vaccine passports. Others, with the intention of following the rules but apparently without being clear about the details, have shared those same lists with messages such as “Now I know there are restaurants to boycott” and urging the authorities to investigate.

But aside from a small number of known scoffers, most of the restaurants on these lists are cafes and counter take-out establishments, which are not required to check vaccine status. The provincial health order says the vaccine proof requirements do not apply to restaurants without a liquor license and without table service, including fast food, coffee shops and food trucks.

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Tostenson said that only about half of BC’s foodservice companies are required to check the status of vaccines.

That means that many local restaurant operators who play by the rules have reluctantly and unhappily found their restaurants on violator lists.

Moises Toyver, owner of Las Tortas in Cambie Village, was unpleasantly surprised to learn that his over-the-counter Mexican takeout was on at least one of those lists. Contacted by phone on Thursday, he said he did not wish to be associated with the handful of anti-vax restaurant owners who defy public health orders.

“No, no, not at all, that’s not our case. We are in favor of health, in favor of vaccines, ”said Toyver. “I try to comply with the law. … I am fully vaccinated and I am in favor of everyone receiving the vaccine and ending this problem. “

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