Jose Andres—the noted chef, restaurateur and humanitarian—wants you to get your COVID shot.
Andres, whose current Twitter name is “Please wear a mask! Do it for the World please …” announced on the social media platform Friday that his restaurant group would give a $50 gift certificate for any of his Washington, D.C. ThinkFoodGroup establishments, with proof of vaccination.
“Ok!,” Andres wrote on Twitter. “We want everyone vaccinated!”
The offer is good until 70% of the U.S. population is vaccinated, Andres said.
Currently, 45% of the total U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine and 32.8% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Of those older than 65, just over 70% are fully vaccinated, the CDC said.
A ThinkFoodGroup spokesperson clarified Andres’ offer Friday, saying that it is only good for those who get vaccinated after Saturday and that the offer is good at Jaleo DC, Jaleo Crystal City, Oyamel, Zaytinya and China Chilcano—not all of ThinkFoodGroup’s Washington D.C. locations.
The $50 gift card, which can only be redeemed once, must be used 30 days after receiving it.
ThinkFoodGroup runs a large number of concepts in Washington, D.C., including two-Michelin-starred Minibar, Butterfly Tacos y Tortas, Zaytinya, Oyamel, Beefsteak, Jaleo, Barmini and China Chilcano.
Combatting vaccine hesitancy has been a major recent focus of government officials, who’ve said the U.S. cannot achieve herd immunity until those who are resistant step up and get inoculated.
Last month, the Biden administration announced a business tax credit to offset the cost of paid leave for employees to get their COVID vaccinations.
A number of chains and independents have offered up incentives to get their workers vaccinated, including paid time off and cash bonuses.
In January, Chicago bar Village Tap began offering $10 gift cards, up to $10,000 worth of them, to any customer who could present proof of a COVID vaccination.
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