Argosy Vax-Only Policy: 5 Things To Know About The Eatery

ATLANTA — Last week, the East Atlanta Village eatery and bar known as Argosy posted signs limiting service only to patrons vaccinated against COVID-19 and adding to the discussion — right or wrong — about choices around getting the vaccine and how far those choices go.

When a spate of breakthrough COVID-19 cases caused Argosy to severely scale back business — closing its dining room and bar and only serving takeout and outdoor customers through a storm-soaked weekend — owner Armando Celentano told Patch the eatery lost tens of thousands of dollars in revenue.
Moreover, Celentano said he wanted to protect those who were most important to Argosy.
“For the safety of our staff, guests, and community … No vax, no service,” read the sign that has been on the door since July 21.

So-called anti-vaxxers crowed on social media, attracting the attention and online fervor of the GOP U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Celentano, however, is resolute in his decision and says he has the full support of his staff and the East Atlanta Village community. And with a new citywide mask mandate recently established by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, there is a second layer of protection now against the delta variant.

Here are five things to know about Argosy and the controversy:
1. Argosy’s origin story.

Considered a New American gastropub and craft beer bar, Argosy has been in the 470 Flat Shoals Ave. building since February 2013, when Celentano and a group of fellow owners bought the property.

The eatery hosts a wide variety of live performances on a weekly basis, from bands to DJs, and serves a smorgasbord of menu options from wood-fired pizza and pork-beef blended meatloaf to ham hock collards and pork belly pastrami. And the tap list features a rotating melange of craft brews that satisfy a range of tastes.

Along the way, the eatery has been the hub for a meeting of minds supporting a variety of causes, including the East Atlanta Kids Club, the nearby Branan Towers senior homes, Black Lives Matter, Atlanta Main Street small business organization, and Southern Restaurants for Racial Justice, among others.

So Celentano said his association with different causes, along with a healthy course of following bombastic rock bands such as the Clash, prepared him for being at the center of controversy.
While he said he's not trying to be political, “I’m OK with being the face of this.”

2. How did the vaccination requirement start?

Celentano said four members of his staff, including himself, came down with the coronavirus. All but one of the 35 current Argosy staff members are fully vaccinated — voluntarily — and the exception suffers a medical condition for which the vaccine is compromising. So it was concerning that three of the four bartenders got sick at the same time.

“I didn’t have anybody to run my bar,” he said. “Also, I didn’t feel it was ethical to open indoors while we had anybody with symptoms.”

Closing down the dining room and bar on a Friday night took a toll on the business and on the Argosy staff. There were losses to perishable-food investment, money spent on alcohol that wasn’t sold, and employees who weren’t working.

“The No. 1 reason we implemented this policy was staff safety and their quality of life,” Celentano said. “They have every right to earn a living safely.”

He met with the staff, and they supported the decision. Everyone continued wearing masks, and they all moved forward.

3. What has been the impact?

“There was a lot of immediate hate and vitriol,” Celentano said. “The same thing happened when we implemented the mask policy when we reopened. We got broad, general threats.”

Then, as he gave interviews to tell Argosy’s story and what happened, the negativity took on a life of its own.

“When Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene made her tweet about it, it made me re-evaluate our situation from a safety perspective,” he said. “I’ve been receiving threats, mostly on social media.”

But the positive response has been felt as well, starting with what Celentano considered a significant uptick in business.

“East Atlanta and the community, they rallied,” he said. “Even the ones not comfortable with dining out yet are ordering takeout.”

And the influx of new customers drawn to the eatery has been astonishing.

“Lots of new faces that we’ve never seen before, wanting to meet me and to tell me this is the first time they’ve gone out to eat,” Celentano said. “People driving from all over the state. The fact that it’s lowering the likelihood of transmission, makes [them] feel safer."

Celentano said a patron on Monday night asked for a $1 tab so he could tip $100 to the staff, above his ongoing bar tab.

4. What do you tell your loyal customers and supporters?

“Thank you for the support, especially in the last week,” Celentano said. “East Atlanta Village, our neighborhood and true community, they’ve really stepped up to be vocal and supportive. Any other guests, just know, we did this with you in mind. It’s on the sign.”

5. What do you tell your detractors?

“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion,” Celentano said. “I am not, by any stretch, advocating for mandatory vaccinations. That being said, I have the right to protect my staff and guests the best way I know how.”

He expressed disappointment that Greene tweeted that his decision was an act of “segregation.”

“To use that language and self-victimize as a white woman in Georgia where we’re still feeling the pain of disproportionate housing and business financing,” Celentano said, “I’m pretty horrified by those words, and I believe them to be hurtful.”