Seattle Chef Defends Vaccination Policy For Workers And Dine-In Guests : NPR

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

No car, no service. That’s what some bars and restaurants say, while the highly contagious Delta variant is spreading across the country. One such facility is ADDO in Seattle, Washington, where you must be vaccinated to work or eat. Eric Rivera is the owner and chef of ADDO. And he’s joining us now. Welcome.

ERIC RIVERA: Hello.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Hello. Why did you make this decision?

RIVERA: Because that’s the only decision you have to make now. I think when a tool is presented and offered, we use it. So in May I made the decision to reopen and with the caveat and restrictions and rules that everyone enters the room or is part of the action in the restaurant – mandatory vaccines.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And how was this species initially welcomed by your employees?

RIVERA: You know how I feel.

(LAUGH)

RIVERA: You know the requirements that I have made here. And they worked in space last year too. You know, we’re closed for delivery / take-away. I have a newer room. So we could somehow distance ourselves within the restaurant and take precautions. We haven’t had any COVID cases during the entire time. You know the need for a vaccine is just – was just another step.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean, how do you implement this rule? How do you certify people that they have been vaccinated?

RIVERA: I have it on my website – it goes to a description, so to speak, and explains all the rules. You know, maybe some are within CDC rules or guidelines. But I feel like I need to be a little more intense because at the end of the day, I’m the one paying the bills. I am the one who takes care of the aftermath when someone gets sick. You read that on the website. You pay the reservation in advance. From there they decide whether they want to get in or not. I don’t have walk-ins in my restaurant. So people can’t just come in and do what they want. Only one ticket is really issued. It’s very strict.

In between there is a little time in which you can send me your vaccination certificate or a copy of it. But I always tell them to bring me physical copies. Fortunately, our state also has a digital system. And I check them all right on the door to make sure. If they do not have them, the description on my website specifically states that they are not allowed to enter.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean your restaurant is in a heavily populated part of the country. But of course this is not the case everywhere. That has now become political. What response have you got since you went public with it?

RIVERA: Yes. I mean, we were also the first area to have cases. So, you know, we kind of got together – I’d say we’ve been into this a little longer than most of us here in the United States. So I’ve lost my patience (laughter) waiting for other people’s approaches to somehow go through that. It’s really about working with people, making sure we can use all the tools and resources available to us, listening to the right people, so educated people, epidemiologists, doctors (laughter), not just random things on Facebook. So on my side it is really a positioning to be successful in the long term.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: How’s business going?

RIVERA: Busier than ever (laughter). It is…

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So it works for you.

RIVERA: It definitely works for me. You know, I’m a small restaurant. Maybe bigger names or bigger chefs won’t see or be happy about the numbers I make. But I’m sold out. My tickets are sold out for most of October. So I have guests coming in. And they are happy. I have guests who are leaving. Are you happy.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean what I hear from you is that maybe your attitude was actually a selling point because people come into your restaurant and at least know that they are surrounded by other people who are protected and vaccinated.

RIVERA: Absolutely. And I’ve had a lot of people in healthcare who have been pretty impressed with what’s going on here. And I have people who keep rebooking just to be here. You know the food is pretty decent. So that’s a plus.

(LAUGH)

RIVERA: You know, so it gives them an option. And I like it. I wish there were more places that went into it and realized it because I feel like it will keep going unless they want to close again.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I mean, what exactly is the goal from your point of view?

RIVERA: I mean, my goal is not to kill people, not to make them sick. It’s pretty easy. I have not had any cases in my room with my employees or people who have contacted me since we ate inside. I intend to keep it that way. If I have to be stricter with the regulations, that’s great. I don’t want to be someone’s last meal. Whatever I do about the food and the restaurant is not worth it. So I definitely don’t want that.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Eric Rivera is the chef and owner of ADDO in Seattle. Many Thanks.

RIVERA: Thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

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