Quebec's vaccine passport has officially been in full force since September 1. While countless businesses have embraced the new system as a means of public safety, other Montreal restaurants have opted to close their dining rooms rather than enforce proof of vaccination.
A couple of restaurant owners have also said they would welcome anyone, regardless of vaccine status, choosing to ignore the government's mandate and deal with the repercussions instead.
Tran Cantine
This Vietnamese café in Saint-Henri posted that it would be closing its dining room the day the vaccine passport came into effect.
Le Jerk Spot Montreal
In a video posted to Le Jerk Spot's Instagram page, owner Rex Patel says the team has made an "executive decision" not to check vaccine passports "because we don't believe in that." In order to still be legal, he said they will not allow customers to dine in the restaurant.
Caffè Roma Villeray
Caffè Roma, an Italian café in Villeray, posted that it would open its doors to vaccinated and non-vaccinated people while respecting health measures.
Ristorante Via
This Italian restaurant in Montreal-Nord said it's closing its dining room so as to not support "discrimination with a vaccine passport."
Le Petit Vibe
Côte-des-Neiges Hawaiian-Filipino restaurant Le Petit Vibe announced it would only be offering take-out and delivery due to the vaccine passport. Co-owner Willson Luu told MTL Blog that "everyone has their right to choose whether they wanted to get vaccinated" and that the government should hire its own "enforcers" instead of asking the restaurant industry to do the job.
Amelias Pizza
Amelias Pizza on rue Milton said it would shut its dining room due to a combination of staff shortages and the "desire to respect the privacy" of its customers. It's still open for takeout and delivery.
Pizzeria Adamo
Tony Campanelli, who owns Adamo's Pizzeria in Saint-Henri as well as Bar de Courcelle, posted an Instagram story saying, "We will continue to welcome all our clients [...] and vigorously contest all fines. It's not law until it's debated democratically." Adamo's Instagram account shared the same story.
Campanelli told MTL Blog that, as a take-out pizza counter, the restaurant was never required to scan its clients' QR codes. He also said the team agrees with most of the government's COVID-19 measures, but not the vaccine passport.
"We are not conspiracy theorists or anti-vaxxers. For the record, we are all fully vaccinated and work behind a glass barrier," he said. "What we stand against is being mandated to police our fellow citizens and clients. [...] There are more people in a metro car stuck together than there will ever be in any of our places, but the STM doesn't ask for passports."
It's important to note that Bar de Courcelle has posted that proof of vaccination is mandatory there.
