Vaccine regulations truly are dividing opinion in foodservice.
Many restaurant operators do not agree with the new vaccine regulations including mandated proof of vaccination, and while plenty are willing to put up with the measure to safeguard the future, there are still concerns from a significant proportion of operators over a potential long-term adverse effect on business.
That’s according to a new report from Black Box Intelligence, which asked numerous foodservice operators for their opinions on vaccine regulations.
Overall, 61 per cent of respondents indicated that they do not agree with the vaccine regulations including requiring vaccination for customers and/or employees or weekly negative COVID-19 results. The percentage of those in favour of the new regulations was higher for limited-service brands.
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Additionally, most companies (58 per cent) have not finalized their roadmap for approaching the new requirements, consisting of 58 per cent of limited-service companies and 44 per cent in full-service work.
A quarter (24 per cent) will require vaccinations for all staff or require staff to show weekly proof of negative COVID-19 results. Nine per cent say they already have a plan in place that satisfies the new regulations with no further changes needed, while the same proportion will require their staff to get vaccinated.
When it comes to labour and staffing, currently a cornerstone issue for the industry, 59 per cent of respondents believe employees will quit over the vaccine regulations, 53 per cent say it will be harder to find new employees. Just eight per cent and seven per cent, respectively, say that employees will be more likely to stay and that it will be easier to find new workers. Other potential issues cited include the need for higher salaries to attract workers.
14 per cent of operators believe that traffic will increase as a result of the regulations, while nine per cent believe that sales will increase. Most respondents (52 per cent) believe that the guest experience will also improve. However, 16 per cent of operators believe sales and foot traffic will actually decrease as a result of the new legislation and 20 per cent believe guests will have a worse experience.
Read the full report.
