A growing number of Los Angeles restaurants are requiring that diners be vaccinated against COVID-19 or show proof of a recent negative test. That comes as new coronavirus cases continue to surge, fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant, which now accounts for upward of 84% of specimens sequenced in California. Conservatory in West Hollywood was one of the first L. A. restaurants to take the step, owner Paul Kalt said. Its requirement that diners show either proof of vaccination or a negative test result from the past 72 hours took effect Tuesday.“We feel that it’s a really hard choice to make, to take this stand, because it’s not always going to be popular with everyone, ” Kalt said. “But ultimately, we think that it’s the most responsible thing to do.“Even though we may lose some guests, we’d rather take that hit right now than have to shut down again and put all our staff back on unemployment, ” he continued. “Or even more so, take the risk of people getting sick. ”Although the restaurant has a security guard who works weekends and will help enforce the rule if necessary, so far people have been mostly complying, he said. Employees contact those who make reservations to inform them of the requirements before they arrive. They’ve had to turn away some walk-ins, but people have for the most part been understanding, he said. Kalt expects more restaurants will start imposing similar requirements in an effort to both stop the spread of the virus and to avoid having public health authorities step in and pause operations completely again.“We want to try to stay ahead of the game this time, ” he said. “We want to be proactive and we want to put into place safe and secure measures that protect our staff, protect our guests and hopefully protect the restaurant industry as a whole from being shut down. ”Asian fusion restaurant the Formosa Cafe is also requiring proof of vaccination or a negative test, according to a list compiled by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The list includes multiple bars and performance venues, which have been quicker to implement vaccination requirements, including the Abbey, Harlowe, Beaches WeHo, Hi Tops, Trunks and the Comedy Store. Italian restaurant Osteria La Buca, which has locations in Larchmont and Sherman Oaks, announced that as of Monday, guests will be required to provide proof of vaccination by showing a vaccination card, photo, scan or digital copy.“We haven’t fought this hard, for this long, to let it go awry now, ” the restaurant wrote on its Instagram page. “There will be a security guard out front checking all guests. ”Owner Stephen Sakulsky said that guests and staff are grateful for the new rule but declined to discuss it.“We feel that it will only promote negativity from a select and small crowd that unfortunately is very loud, ” he wrote in an email. “We don’t need that attention.
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