Peninsula restaurant chain gives workers the day off to get vaccinated

MILLBRAE, Calif. (KTVU) - A very small San Mateo restaurant chain closed up shop today, not to throw in the towel, but to go, en masse, to a COVID mass vaccination site.  

When Michelin repeatedly gives a restaurant the Bib Gourmand award for consistently excellent and affordable meals, it means it's a wonderful place to dine.

There are many places to get Chinese food in San Mateo County, but two restaurants are Wonderful. with a Michelin rating and 4 stars on Yelp. And now, with the county returning to the far less restrictive red tier and partial indoor dining, the focus is on vaccinations.

"I think the fact that the vaccine is now available to front line workers and now food workers and agricultural workers; that's really essential of getting us back  to normal," said Wonderful owner You You Xue.

So, today the restaurant closed early for all 20 employees of the Millbrae and Foster City locations could get the vaccinated.

"They want to be able to not only keep themselves and their families safe, but also our customers safe at the same time," said Xue.

At the San Mateo Event Center, this day was set aside for food and agricultural workers after  focusing on educators the day before.

"We believe it's a matter of public safety and public confidence," said Xue.

Once fully vaccinated, Xue says he will post their COVID vaccination cards on the wall to let every customer know Wonderful truly is.