Restaurant staff seeking proof of vaccination receive threats, verbal abuse

Bill Mahfouz arrived at his restaurant Wednesday to find his long-time server dealing with an irate customer, who threatened to fill his pickup truck with bricks and come back to destroy the restaurant that's been in Mahfouz's family for more than 30 years.

The customer did not approve of showing his proof of vaccination, which was required beginning that day.

"I'm still shaking, you know, at 8:30 in the morning to be hit with this. It's unnerving and to see my staff having to deal with this, this was our biggest fear from the beginning," Mahfouz said.

Restaurants, gyms and theatres are among the Ontario businesses who now need to screen customers for proof of vaccination, and it didn't take long for some to report confrontational customers who had to be turned away at the door.

Mahfouz owns Benny's All Day restaurant in Rockland, just east of Ottawa. He says the confrontation first thing Wednesday became physical.

"As I was jumping in to help her out, [the customer] grabbed the door and literally almost broke a swinging door, slammed it so hard and went outside and was just yelling and screaming," Mahfouz said.

The man then threatened to return and damage more property.