‘Don’t take it out on us’: Some restaurants face abuse over vaccine passports

Restaurant owners say they're bearing the brunt of provincial policies that require diners to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.

It didn’t take long for Bill Mahfouz to face customer backlash over Ontario’s new proof-of-vaccine requirements, which came into effect last week.

On Sept. 22, the first day the province required restaurants to ask for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for everyone who was dining indoors, the second or third customer of Benny’s All Day family restaurant in Rockland, Ont., became aggressive, according to Mahfouz.

“I was in the back and he had a confrontation with the server in front, and he refused to show anything and, you know, started spouting off anti-vaccine, anti-mask regulations and all that and started screaming and yelling and then became offensive,” said Mahfouz, the restaurant’s owner.

“I got to the front and he was swearing and got physical, slammed the door – almost broke it,” he said.

“I met him outside on the patio. And then he threatened to come back and fill up his truck with bricks and destroy the place.”

Mahfouz said that this was one isolated incident and most customers have been co-operative, but he doesn’t like that his young staff and servers have to deal with these problems.

“That’s my biggest concern. I want to protect my staff first and foremost,” he said.

“Most of the time we have 16-year-old hostesses. And that’s just not OK. Nobody should be abused.”