Mission restaurant facing online backlash for following vaccine passport rules
Posted August 30, 2021 1:33 pm.
Last Updated August 30, 2021 1:34 pm.
MISSION (NEWS 1130) — A restaurant owner in Mission is worried anti-vaxxers are attacking his business online after he said he would be following provincial health orders.
Mike Bruic owns Pitmasters Real Wood Pit BBQ and says people have been giving his restaurant poor reviews, something he believes is coming from the anti-vaccine passport movement.
“It’s totally nuts. These people don’t realize that we have to do what the law tells us to do,” Bruic says about the online comments. Adding, “they are attacking other people too, it’s a network, it’s a conspiracy of people together doing this,” he claimed.
Bruic says he sold everything to start the restaurant, and has faced struggles to keep it afloat shortly after it opened.
Read more: B.C. introduces COVID-19 vaccine passport card
His restaurant received negative comments more than a year ago, connected to a staffing issue, something he says they finally recovered from, only to be hit again by recent negative reviews.
“They hide in the shadows and attack you,” he says about the online commenters.
He says he’s worried this recent push against his restaurant will be the final straw.
Restaurants, like gyms, concerts, and movie theatres will be required to ask patrons to show proof they have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine starting Sept. 13.
Many businesses have publicly said they would not follow the provincial rules and instead focus on “leading with love” and other vague protest messaging. An online group called “BC Businesses against Health Pass” has almost 100,000 members with the majority of posts outlining their views against following the new rules.
Although many of the businesses posting that they “don’t discriminate” do not fall under the vaccine pass mandate such as hair dressers, trades people, or those in the retail sector.
On Friday, B.C.’s premier John Horgan said, “these are issues that are supported overwhelmingly in the community and for those who don’t support them, that’s regrettable.”
The premier added, “the majority of the province wants to know when they go to a hockey game, or the theatre, or out for a dinner, that the people that they’re associating with have taken the same steps to protect themselves and their families.”
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The CEO of British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservice Association agrees, saying that the average person won’t be fooled by the efforts of the vocal minority to impact a businesses reputation.
“People are going to see through the one star rating,” said Ian Tostenson. “I think the majority of the population in B.C. will start to push back and say c’mon lets be reasonable here,” he added.
“I really hope people don’t try to be that mean and try to hurt our businesses which subsequently hurt our employees,” he said.
He says he hopes people leave positive reviews to drown out the negative ones.
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“If you look at what’s happened in Kelowna…that’s where we are headed if we don’t do something,” he says about the Interior Health region’s recent reinstatement of COVID-19 restrictions after a surge in cases.
The province says 83.9 per cent of all British Columbians aged 12 and up have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75.8 per cent have gotten both doses.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has repeatedly said evidence shows being fully vaccinated greatly reduces the chances of becoming seriously ill from the virus. The province says from Aug. 12 to Aug. 25, people who are not fully vaccinated made up 82 per cent of cases and 85.9 per cent of hospitalizations.
Since the province announced the passport daily registrations to get vaccinated nearly doubled compared to the same time last week.
With files from Denise Wong and Liza Yuzda
