Restaurant ordered to close after accepting dog photos instead of vaccination proof

A Canadian restaurant was forced to close after allowing customers to present dog photos in place of their Covid-19 vaccination card.

According toToday, health officials have ordered the restaurant to temporarily cease its indoor dining services due to the incident.

The order to close doors was made on Friday after Alberta Health Services investigated complaints about the Granary Kitchen in Red Deer.

In the investigation, two investigators posed as customers and entered the restaurant both separately and at different times after they provided photos and personal identification to restaurant staff.

That's when they discovered the restaurant was non-compliant with Covid-19 regulations.

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"In both instances, facility staff used a tablet to make it appear as if they were scanning a QR code when in fact the staff member was presented with a photograph of a dog," the agency told the media outlet.

They added, "The staff member then proceeded to ask the test shopper for personal identification and offered dine-in services."

After the incident, the restaurant was forced to close its indoor dining area and submit a "written COVID-19 compliance plan that follows the province’s indoor dining rules" as well as a mandatory training session for the restaurant's employees on Covid-19 rules.

The restaurant addressed the situation in a Facebook post on Friday.

In the post, The Granary Kitchen described the event as "an unfortunate circumstance at our front door which involved one of our underage hostesses, and the requirements for the REP program."

They shared that they were "taking the weekend to retrain and regroup" and looked forward to "serving you again as soon as we are ready to reopen."

"In closing we would like to remind everyone of the tremendous pressure being placed on front staff, and please remember to be kind," the Facebook page added.