Rochester businesses see mask compliance as a collective effort

Lizzy Haywood, general manager of the People’s Food Co-op in Rochester and La Crosse, has watched thousands of masked faces enter the two grocery stores since the business, on its own accord, began requiring masks for entry in June. The pandemic, in her eyes, has forced the co-op and its customers to enter into a give-and-take of sorts — one that’s unprecedented in modern times.

“There’s never been a time where the customers and the business have been in such a partnership, to get something done together,” said Haywood. “It’s always been ‘the customer is always right’ or ‘here’s the business rules,’ but never has there been the need for such a partnership.”

Local business owners and managers like Haywood are relying on that partnership to keep their employees healthy and their storefronts open. Rochester’s mask mandate, implemented last week, gave businesses a legal foot to stand on while enforcing their own requirements, in the hopes that mask-wearing becomes second nature.

Some business owners, like Erin Nystrom, co-owner of Rochester’s two Potbelly Sandwich Shop locations, say it already has.

Nystrom told us her customers have been predominantly self-policing since the owners implemented their own mandate June 1. Added outdoor seating at the downtown location has been popular, especially since the mandate was put into effect.

“Our people really are taking this seriously,” she said. “They’re less inclined to be inside at all. Most of our customers want to eat outside, and it’s been great to see people take advantage of that instead of sitting in the shop.”

The experiences of Haywood and Nystrom are not isolated, according to Rochester city attorney Jason Loos; he says the vast majority of local businesses have complied with the mandate so far, even without a foolproof way to enforce it.

“We did not make violation a crime, so we cannot cite store owners and are at this point relying on them to implement a plan that complies,” said Loos. “Most businesses have done a good job.”

The Gray Areas of Enforcement

Rochester’s mandate allows law enforcement to enforce trespassing laws if people refuse to wear a mask, but not much more. Larger cities like Minneapolis can cite city-licensed businesses if they refuse to enforce the guidelines, but Rochester does not give out administer general business licenses.

The city does issue municipal liquor licenses, though, meaning it has the legal capability to enforce the mandate anywhere alcohol is sold. Loos said the city does not plan to utilize this capability, however, opting instead to refer violators to the state.

Kevin Smoot, owner of Brother’s Bar and Grill and a city liquor license, says he finds himself in a tough situation on how to best follow the mandate. Brothers, according to Smoot, is in a gray area: eventually, anyone sitting down to eat or drink will have to take the mask off. Total enforcement, then, is impractical for his business. (The order does require mask wearing in common spaces of a restaurant, such as the entrance.)

“We definitely encourage [mask wearing], but we’re not refusing service if they don’t wear a mask,” said Smoot. “If they’re gonna wander around my place, I would ask them to put one on, but no one’s just wandering around right now. When it comes down to it, we’re going to do the best we can to protect our staff.”

The Rising Tide

While Gov. Tim Walz mulls a statewide mask mandate, cities and retailers are currently left to make masking decisions for themselves. This week, Walmart and Target — two of the nation’s largest retailers — announced masks would be required to enter their stores, joining places such as Starbucks, Best Buy, and Kohl’s.

Kwik Trip has taken the opposite stance in recent days, choosing to not enforce the mandate for customers at any of its 15 Rochester locations. The company has offered little explanation publicly for the internal policy, except to state it does not want to “put coworkers in harm’s way.” (They did not directly respond to our requests for comment.)

While exact figures regarding compliance are not available, Both Haywood and Nystrom said they’ve had less cases of forgetful or angry customers entering without a mask since the mandate was implemented. In the coming weeks, Haywood is hopeful those issues dwindle to near zero — an accomplishment that will take a concerted effort from all parties involved.

“When people hear the message, see the visuals, get the message of safety through a variety of channels, that’s what makes the difference,” said Haywood. “No one company can do all of that.”

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.