People calling The Bayou, a bar and restaurant in Salt Lake City, used to hear information on dining hours and takeout orders when called in — but that has changed since they started a policy of only serving vaccinated customers.
“If you would like to argue with us about how this is either unconstitutional, or illegal, or violates your misguided idea of what HIPAA stands for, please visit our website first, where we will have most certainly addressed your issue,” The Bayou’s voicemail states, after explaining its policy. “Our website should also dissuade you of any crazy idea that we are either discriminating or are somehow secret communists.”
The Bayou was closed for dine-in service from late Feb. 2020 until May 2021, when their staff and ownership were able to be vaccinated against COVID-19. They decided to reopen their dining room — with a requirement that customers show proof of vaccination.
But some people did not take the policy well, and last Saturday they marched in front of the restaurant, chanting, holding signs and yelling at the owners, who shouted back from the roof.
When the policy was first announced the group Utah Business Revival “drummed up a bunch of protest and drama” about the restaurant’s policy, according to Mark Alston, the co-owner of The Bayou. The attention came with death threats but The Bayou didn’t back down.
Alston says the group which protested last week, Utah Patriots, was a spinoff of Utah Business Revival.
Last week’s protest fell flat in a crucial way, according to Alston. The Bayou was closed when the marchers arrived.
“They weren’t disruptive to our business because they had clearly done about the same high quality of research on our business they’ve done on the vaccine — in the sense that they showed up when we were closed,” Alston said.
“Not only did they show up when we were closed, but they showed up with a significant number of small children, and we’re a bar. So I’m not sure what the point of having small children protesting that they can’t come into a bar is, but that was kind of how well they were researching.”
Despite the protest and the threats, Alston said most of The Bayou’s customers supported their policy.
Across the street, the live music venue The State Room implemented a similar policy to The Bayou’s, requiring all “patrons, staff, and artists to show proof of vaccination with corresponding ID or proof of negative test dated within 24 hours of attending an event.”
Chris Mautz, a co-owner at The State Room, said he hasn’t seen many customers, if any, requesting refunds.
“We were working internally amongst our staff leading into [the new policy], so it certainly was no surprise on that front,” Mautz said. “Patrons, you know, overwhelmingly, the response has been very positive. You know, it does feel like if you are paying attention to what’s happening out there in the touring world and the venue world, that the real momentum and movement is to be heading in this direction.”
The State Room has done some research in possibly holding a vaccination event and Mautz feels they are encouraging vaccinations for their patrons.
For Alston at The Bayou, the point is that they don’t want to contribute to the spread of the COVID.
“Doing the right thing isn’t supposed to be easy — it’s not easy,” Alston said. " We’re basically losing money every day we’re open right now. But the alternative is for us to stay closed, at least for us. I mean, bars and restaurants are a huge spread point for the Coronavirus, and we’re not going to be a part of making everything worse, especially with as bad as it is in Utah right now.”
Although The Bayou moved back to dine-in service with the vaccine, increasing case rates have put a damper on their expected return to normal. In the meantime, Alston says the situations created by the pandemic have been bad — but “that’s just sometimes life sucks. And you have to deal with it.”
“What I will say about these protesters is that, especially in Utah, where there’s no government mandate requiring this, but there are a handful, a very small handful of businesses trying to do the right thing, that [the protesters] claiming some sort of American freedom by protesting us operating our businesses the way we see fit, and the way we feel safe, is incredibly anti-American.”
