Dining out? New Yelp tool lets you see restaurants’ COVID vaccine requirements https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article253285903.html August 05, 2021 Yelp just rolled out a new feature to help foodies stay informed about health and safety protocols at their favorite restaurants, including COVID-19 vaccine requirements. Starting Thursday, Yelp will allow restaurants and other businesses to indicate whether proof of vaccination is required to visit or if their staff has been fully vaccinated. The website’s new tool comes as a growing number of restaurants and retailers are moving to become vaccinated-only establishments, turning away customers who haven’t gotten the shot. A gastropub in Atlanta made headlines last month when it unveiled its “no vax, no service” policy, McClatchy News reported. In New York City, proof of vaccination will be required beginning Aug. 16 before you dine out, or hit the gym for a quick workout, according to PIX11. “With the uncertainty surrounding the spread of the COVID Delta variant, we’re seeing an increasing number of businesses implement new safety measures to protect their employees and communities,” Yelp said in a news release. “[Yelp] users will be able to filter by these attributes when searching for local businesses ... and will easily see ‘Proof of vaccination required’ indicated on restaurant, food and nightlife businesses in search results.” Only businesses will be able to add the “Proof of vaccination required” and “All staff fully vaccinated” labels to their Yelp page, and can do so by logging into their Yelp for Business account, the company said. Users can also see if a restaurant requires masks for employees and guests, if a business chooses to activate those attributes. Yelp said it plans to put measures in place to protect businesses who activate the new features from so-called “review bombing.” This happens when users flood a Yelp page with bogus reviews based on their stance on vaccinations and other COVID-19 precautions “rather than their actual experience with the business,” according to its website. Yelp saw similar behavior when it unveiled its Black-owned business attribute last summer. “When a business gains public attention, people often come to Yelp to express their views on the matter,” according to Yelp. “Mitigating against these ‘review bombing’ events has become a significant issue for online review platforms, which is why Yelp has heavily invested to address this phenomenon.” So far, the website said it has removed nearly 4,500 reviews for violating its content policies. “At Yelp, we are committed to providing consumers with reliable and useful information to help them decide where to spend their money, and at the same time, we aim to level the playing field for all businesses,” the company said in a news release. Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article253285903.html#storylink=cpy
How's this enforced? Are we supposed to take plague rat owners at their word if they decide to false advertise?
All you need would be for one staff member posting on social media that the employer does not actually require the staff to be vaccinated --- for the entire thing to blow up for the business.
You can say whatever you want. You can feel whatever you want. And bonus points if you clarify it is anecdotal. Just don't try to pass it off as fact unless you've got the supporting data.
Yet -- every week the list of restaurants requiring vaccination to enter or requiring their employees be vaccinated grows locally. There must be a reason for this trend -- maybe because it is good for business. List grows of Durham restaurants requiring COVID-19 vaccination proof, some urge city to pass rules https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-ne...ccination-proof-some-urge-city-to-pass-rules/ Sep 24, 2021 Some quotes from the article: "“If 92 percent of your guests ask you to do something, you have to do it as a business,” Turnbull said." COPA is not alone. They’re joining a growing list of restaurants in Durham, such as Rue Cler, Kingfisher Bar, Dirty Bull Brewing, and Alley Twenty Six. Alley Twenty Six general manager Quentin Dyson said they decided to require vaccine proof for both inside and outside dining. “There’s been some pushback, very little, most of it’s online through reviews but overwhelmingly most people are very excepting and wanting of this,” Dyson said.