HOLMES BEACH, Fla. — A popular Anna Maria restaurant is getting into the vaccine business but not in the way you may think.

The Beach Bistro restaurant is asking their customers and their staff to be vaccinated. 

“When you call for a reservation we ask if you’ve been vaccinated,” Beach Bistro owner Sean Murphy said. “If you say no you haven’t then we say well go get vaccinated and then give us a call back.

“We do not ask for any verification. We’re not allowed to. So Gov. (Ron) DeSantis said we’re not allowed to ask for proof of vaccination.”

Murphy said they’re relying on the honor system. 

He’s owned and operated the beach bistro for more than 35 years and like most when the pandemic hit he had to get creative.

He brought state-of-the-art ventilation systems, strict testing and vaccinations for almost 100 percent of his staff. Now he’s asking his customers to do the same. 

Albert and Gina Granger are customers of the Beach Bistro and they say they agree with the restaurant’s stance.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise. I think they care about their customers. I think they care about their staff and everybody else who visits here,” said Gina Granger.

Murphy says the numbers that show Florida leading the country in new Covid infections emphasizes his point even more asking customers to be vaccinated. He’s hoping other business owners follow suit.

Since making the announcement about customers being vaccinated, Murphy says their phone hasn’t stopped ringing with people wanting to dine in or show their support.​