Restaurant and tavern owners in Chicago and Cook County are preparing for Monday’s mandate to check patrons’ proof of Covid vaccination.
The order calls for proof of vaccination for customers of indoor settings where food or drink are served, like restaurants, bars, and also in entertainment venues and in fitness facilities. The order will go into effect Jan. 3.
Martin Faisal said it’s been hard to find restaurant workers at Lucy’s Café, the All-American breakfast dinner serving vegetarian dishes in Roscoe Village. But there are other concerns.
“It affects us in a big way. We’re mostly shorthanded,” he said. “There might be some issues with the customers that aren’t vaccinated.”
Amante Udarbe, the owner of Finley Dunne’s Tavern in Lakeview said bar and restaurant owners can hardly afford to hire more staff.
“We’ll probably have to hire a door guy to check everyone,” he said. “It’s been a tough year.”
Matthew Baldino at Commonwealth at Roscoe and Damen said they ready for Monday. He says he supports anything that helps protect the health of his staff and his patrons.
“Considering everything we’ve been through during the pandemic, this is frankly much to do about nothing,” he said. “We’re going to have all our servers and bartenders check people for their vaccination cards and their IDs when they come to the table or come to the bar.”