‘Appreciate it or not.’ You’ll have to mask up to eat or drink at these Tri-Cities establishments

Some restaurants in the Tri-Cities are joining a growing number of companies across the U.S. to require additional COVID safety measures even without a government mandate.

Companies like Tyson Foods and United Airlines recently announced vaccination requirements for thousands of employees, and others such as Home Depot are mandating masks for workers regardless of their vaccination status.

And some small local businesses including Sage Brewing in Pasco and Dovetail Joint restaurant in Richland are requiring the same for workers — and customers.

“Effective immediately we will again be requiring face masks anytime you are not seated at your table while visiting. This is a hard decision to make but we have to maintain safety for our guests and staff at all times,” said a post last week on Sage Brewing’s Facebook page.

The microbrewery also is requiring proof of vaccination for customers who want to belly up to the bar.

In May, the state of Washington exempted people who are fully vaccinated from wearing face masks in public with exceptions for those who work in places such as health care and in K-12 schools.

Individual employers are allowed to require masks as a condition of employment. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still requires masks for transportation settings, like airplanes and buses.

“This is something I’ve been thinking about as we’ve been seeing the cases rise with the new variant,” said Sage Brewing’s owner Tyson Crudup. “We’ve had a lot close friends and family members that have gotten the virus even though vaccinated. It is starting to hit home.”

Crudup said that while he has gotten some pushback, overall he’s received a positive response.

He was an early outspoken proponent for safety measures, and customers have supported that. Crudup was one of the first places in Tri-Cities to offer a free drink for proof of vaccination as fun encouragement.

“Not everyone can get the vaccination,” he said. “One of our employees has two young children who can’t get vaccinated. It is being passed by those who are asymptomatic so we had to make a change.”

“Once you have employees, you have other lives you’re responsible for,” he said.

Crudup pointed out that his employees can’t make a living and support their families if he is forced to close because of a COVID-19 outbreak.

It’s also a financial decision. Like others in the industry, Crudup has had a difficult time hiring enough workers.

Sage Brewing can’t stay open if the few employees he has on the payroll get sick and he can’t staff shifts.

Dovetail Joint restaurant in the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland was one of the last to lift a mask requirement for customers this spring.

Even though the state mandate was lifted for those who were vaccinated, owner Maren McGowan required masks for customers until all restrictions were fully lifted at the end of June.

Even then, McGowan said they received a considerable amount of backlash from customers.

“People got nasty about that,” McGowan said. “I explained I was trying to protect my employees but it didn’t matter.”

Regardless, McGowan has once again implemented a mask mandate for everyone in the restaurant who is not seated starting Aug. 9. And the inside bar also will be closed to seating.

“I’m looking at what is happening and how virulent the Delta variant is,” she said. “You can be vaccinated and may not be sick or have symptoms but still pass it on, and there are lot of unvaccinated people in our community.”

Dovetail Joint opened only five months before the first pandemic closure. But the customers who have supported her moves have kept her afloat, and McGowan said those customers have thanked them.

“I am trying to protect my staff and protect my family and their families and my customers — whether they appreciate it or not,” she said.