About half of restaurant owners plan to encourage and offer incentives to their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a survey by a company that provides data, research and analysis for the restaurant industry.
The survey by BlackBox Intelligence also found that 39% of restaurants will encourage vaccinations, but not provide incentives, and 5% will neither encourage, nor require, vaccinations. The remaining 6% reported that the were undecided.
About 53% of the restaurants planning to incentivize workers to be inoculated said they would provide paid time off to get the vaccine. One-third said they would provide a one-time cash payment to workers; 5% said they would pay for the cost of the vaccine; 10% said they would provide vaccinated employees with more time off; and the remainder said they would incentivize employees in “other ways.”
The survey also found that 75% of restaurants plan to keep current COVID-19 safety protocols, such as face masks, in place even after employees are vaccinated.
Restaurant Dive, which reported the BlackBox survey March 18, said the public will be reassured and more apt to return to indoor dining if restaurants maintain COVID-19 safety protocols for the foreseeable future, even as the rate of vaccinations increases.
