Photo: Courtesy of The Bittersweet Shoppe (Facebook)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) – One Boston coffee shop has responded to the city’s indoor vaccine mandate by only offering takeout dining.
The Bittersweet Shoppe on Newbury Street has not known life outside of the pandemic. The location opened in the middle of 2020 when owner Tracy Casavant was looking to start her next chapter. Nowadays, the café is looking more empty than usual, but it’s not because of slow business.
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“I don’t feel comfortable segregating or discriminating against people who have chosen not to vaccinate,” Casavant explained in regard to Boston’s indoor vaccine mandate that went into effect on January 15. She said she prefers having her café bear no tables so more customers can be served.
“I thought the easiest solution was just remove the tables and not have to deal with it and kind of make our stance that way.”
Casavant also explained her reasoning on Instagram saying, “we LOVE and RESPECT ALL our customers and employees regardless of their vaccination status…We hope you continue to support our small business.”
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Overall, this effort is helping Casavant stay true to her desire to serve others.
“It was just hard for me to go against my conviction that I didn’t want to have to turn somebody away who was not vaccinated," she said, "versus looking at someone’s papers and them being allowed to sit in here because they are vaccinated.”
The patio at Bittersweet is open and Casavant is offering blankets for customers to borrow when they stop by.
WBZ’s Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) has more:
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