Queensland restaurants and cafes get set to ban the unvaccinated from venues

Restaurant and cafe owners across the state have backed the plan to ban the unvaccinated from their venues but they have raised a number of concerns with the new government rules.

Restaurant and cafe owners across Queensland have welcomed the new government-mandated directive to only allow vaccinated patrons and workers inside venues.

However, they fear it will force them to lose vital staff amid a critical worker shortage in the hospitality sector, with employees prepared to walk off the job rather than get vaxxed.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday announced that from December 17 only vaccinated people would be allowed into venues including restaurants, cafes and bars.

Nick Woodward from Gold Coast restaurant Rick Shores at Burleigh Heads supported the decision but said he would sadly lose staff over it.

“There’s already a critical staff shortage on the Coast and I do know that we have staff that would just leave if they had to get vaxxed,” he said.

Nick Woodward from Rick Shores, Burleigh Heads said he would follow the government’s new rules affecting vaccinated patrons and staff. Picture: Adam Head

However, he believed the new rules would make both diners and employees feel safer.

“I want to make sure our staff are safe and feel safe coming into work and … I would like the customers to just feel safer and knowing that all the staff are vaxxed you’re just minimising the risk, especially with borders opening.”

Under the new government plan, businesses should display the rules and ask people to show that they have been fully vaccinated via the QLD Check-in app. If there is no evidence, the business can ask the patron to leave and if the patron refuses, the venue can call the police.

Owner of award-winning cafe Lady Marmalade in Brisbane’s Stones Corner, Sonja Searle, supported the decision but said it was unrealistic to expect police to have to monitor noncompliance, and hoped customers would show some compassion and understanding to eateries as they had to enforce the rules.

“It’s an instruction that we need to follow to keep our businesses open,” Mrs Searle said.

“I think for us as cafes, restaurants, bars and hospitality in general, we ask that people understand that these are not our rules and we need to implement them and if people can be a little kind because it’s going to be hard on us.”

Shannon Kellam from iconic Brisbane French restaurant Montrachet, and cafes King St Bakery and Mica, fully backed the plan and said it would be safer for his staff.

“It’s great that it’s mandated because it means my staff will be abused less, but if they are abused, they can call the police,” he said.

A spokeswoman for The Star, which operates multiple restaurants, cafes and bars across its Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane sites, said they welcomed the long-awaited return to normal operations from December 17.

“The Government’s requirement for team members and guests to be fully vaccinated provides clarity and certainty around the pathway ahead,” she said. “We will continue to encourage all our team members to be vaccinated and ready by mid-December to operate in a restriction-free environment.”