Pizzeria becomes latest Triangle restaurant to require COVID vaccine for indoor dining
In a week when North Carolina recorded its highest COVID-19 cases in months, one of the Triangle’s most popular pizzerias will begin limiting dine-in service only to vaccinated guests.
Carrboro’s Pizzeria Mercato announced Thursday that it will require proof of vaccination for diners planning to eat inside at the restaurant. Owner Gabe Barker said proof could be either the physical vaccine card from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or a digital photo of it. In the future there will likely be a button or pin that diners can wear once they’ve proved their vaccination status.
“Health and safety are my top priority,” Barker said.
Pizzeria Mercato only reopened its dining room in June, and the restaurant doesn’t have any outdoor seating. Takeout has largely been its only business for more than a year. In that time, Barker said some diners, including older diners, ordered takeout three or four times a week. The restaurant is only open four days a week.
“Our industry has changed forever,” Barker said. “The people who kept me in business, who ordered takeout every single week for most of the last year, I don’t want them to feel like they can’t feel safe in my restaurant.”
COVID spike
In the past few weeks, as COVID cases have increased in North Carolina, Barker said he’s seen business dip and some with reservations ask to change their orders to takeout. He said that convinced him he needed a vaccine policy.
Barker is married to an ICU nurse at UNC and said he’s watched friends his age have difficult bouts with COVID and continue to deal with long-haul symptoms.
“The trends are not moving in the right direction,” Barker said. “The selfishness and disregard for other people struck me as uniquely American. We’re the only country where you could trip and fall on a vaccine.”
Barker said the vaccine requirement at Mercato isn’t intended to be a political statement, but one meant to provide a measure of security. For people who haven’t been vaccinated, Barker said he’s happy to serve them takeout.
“We don’t want to ostracize people, we want to keep people safe,” Barker said. “Curbside is still an option.”
Social media reaction
Pizzeria Mercato announced the new vaccine requirement on its social media pages. Most of the reaction on Instagram has been supportive, while the responses on Facebook are more mixed.
“I know I’m going to piss some people off, and that’s fine,” Barker said. “It’s about caring about the other people in your community. I believe for the majority of our guests it creates and will foster an environment that, despite the COVID numbers, we can still feel comfortable.”
The pizzeria is the second Triangle restaurant to require diners to prove their vaccinated status in order to dine indoors. Raleigh’s Players Retreat was the first to make such a requirement when it reopened its doors in June, serving people indoors for the first time in more than a year. Players Retreat gives diners a “PR — I am Vaxxed” button to wear on visits once they prove their vaccination status.
Orange County, where Pizzeria Mercato is located, has North Carolina’s highest vaccination rate at 76% of its residents fully vaccinated, based on data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Though North Carolina’s COVID numbers are trending upward, the state has held off on imposing any new restrictions, though it has renewed its push for vaccines and recommended mask wearing in some situations.
In cities like New York, vaccine requirements will soon be the norm. The New York Times reports that New Yorkers will have to prove their vaccine status to dine indoors starting Sept. 13.
Meals as celebrations
Barker grew up watching meals as celebrations. His parents, Ben and Karen Barker, ran the Magnolia Grill in Durham for 25 years, where diners often came for birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions. The pandemic largely disrupted that role for restaurants, something Barker said he’s missed more than anything and doesn’t want to give up.
“I feel so grateful we were able to survive,” Barker said. “But I didn’t get the same fulfillment. Probably because of who my parents are, seeing the joy on people’s faces having a meal was so foundational to my childhood. The last couple months, I’ve been able to cook food and watch people enjoy it in front of me. It was far beyond what we were able to do through takeout.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 4:12 PM.
