When we reached out to restaurant owners to hear their reactions to Mecklenburg County’s mask mandate, woven through many responses was a fear about what the measure would mean for diner confidence. Thanks to data from the National Restaurant Association, it’s clear that those fears were warranted: diners are getting nervous. Here are the survey’s three top takeaways. 

Diners feel safer with takeout and outdoor dining
According to the National Restaurant Association’s research, nine percent of adults cancelled restaurant plans due to the Delta variant of Covid-19. Another 19 percent said they did not plan to go out to restaurants in the current situation, while 37 percent said they chose to order food to go instead of dining at a restaurant. Nearly 20 percent of diners said they’ll dine outside rather than going into a restaurant. 41 percent said they did not change their habits regarding dining inside. 

Mask mandates make dining out more and less appealing, depending on who you ask
Surveyed adults were divided, unsurprisingly, on indoor mask requirements. While one in three adults said they would be less likely to go to a restaurant if masks are required inside, 25 percent of adults said they would be more likely to go to a restaurant if masks were required. To 43 percent of the adults surveyed, mask requirements would not make a difference. “Gen Z adults and Democrats were the most likely to say a mask requirement would make them more likely to go out to a restaurant,” the results indicate, while “Republicans, Gen Xers, and rural residents were the most likely to say a mask requirement would make them less likely to go out to a restaurant.”

Vaccination requirements bring a political divide
Responses to whether they would patronize a restaurant that required proof of vaccination were nearly perfectly split, with 32 percent of adults saying they would be less likely to visit a restaurant requiring proof, 33 percent responding they would be more likely to do so, and 35 percent saying such a requirement would not matter to them. “Democrats, Gen Z adults, and individuals in higher income households were the most likely to say a proof-of-vaccine requirement would make them more likely to go out to a restaurant; Republicans, Independents, Gen Xers, and rural residents were the most likely to say a proof-of-vaccine requirement would make them less likely to go out to a restaurant,” according to survey results. 

Mecklenburg County implemented an indoor mask mandate in late August.

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