Danny Meyer, owner of the Union Square Hospitality Group, has announced that vaccine booster shots will become compulsory for employees and diners at each of their locations.
“At this point, the science has changed,” said Meyer. “What has been a little bit tougher has been watching this crushing wave of Omicron sweeping through New York City and certainly through the country.”
The state of New York officially requires all indoor diners to be at least partially vaccinated, with a new policy requiring at least two shots effective December 27th (notwithstanding those who received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine). However, the city has not officially mandated booster shots for indoor dining.
Meyer is also the founder of the fast-food chain Shake Shack, which has not yet announced any policy for booster requirements. Indeed, the Union Square Hospitality Group’s policy is one of the first of its kind to be announced in the United States and may serve as a bellwether for future booster mandates on a much larger scale. Until then, the Manhattan brunch crowd can dine in comfort, knowing that their culinary experience will be accessible only to those of their neighbors who have received the latest injections the pharmaceutical industry has to offer.