No vaccine, no service, new Boise restaurant says. ‘We had people compare us to Nazis’

When Kin announced Saturday that the restaurant planned to require diners to provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19, tons of online feedback was supportive.

But the blowback? “Unhinged,” as one Instagram commenter noted.

“Never in my life did I think someone was going to call me a Nazi,” admits co-owner and chef de cuisine Kris Komori, a multiple James Beard Award nominee.

“We had three different people compare us to Nazis,” co-owner Remi McManus marvels. “Somebody wrote KinNazi.”

Skin slightly thicker, the men will proceed as planned this week — mostly. On Monday, Komori and McManus decided that Kin (stylized as “KIN”) also will accept negative tests done within 48 hours.

After a year and a half of pivoting at 999 W. Main St. — with home-delivery meals, outdoor nights on the patio, a cocktail bar and “PiKINic” events in a grassy amphitheater — Kin officially will debut its indoor tasting room Wednesday. Essentially, the downtown Boise restaurant is opening nearly 18 months after it “opened.”

The tasting room is Kin’s meat and potatoes. Serving a five-course, rotating prix-fixe menu, the upscale restaurant will offer one 7 p.m. communal seating per night, Wednesdays through Saturdays, handling up to 24 people. (Up to 30 for private events.) Reservations are required. The cost is $85 per person. Add $35 for a curated wine and cocktail pairing. A slightly less spendy, later-evening Saturday Night Supper Club will launch within the next month, too.

Simultaneously, Kin has closed its cocktail bar for now — probably until fall. “It gives us the opportunity to more clearly focus on our roots and the tasting room,” McManus explains.

Clearly, Komori and McManus don’t take joy in alienating any Idahoan. But moving beyond masks needed to happen. Much of their most loyal clientele — diners who have followed the restaurateurs since they ran now-defunct State & Lemp — was uncomfortable gathering in an unvaccinated or untested environment, they say.

“It’s hard,” Komori says. “It’s not meant to be a political statement. It’s not meant to be any of that. But we know that we are going to cause people to be very upset with us.

“We couldn’t have our strongest supporters trust going into the place enough to keep the business alive. It was not an easy decision, but it was one we felt like we had to make.”

Nationally, these are not uncharted waters. With the delta variant spreading, restaurants in larger markets are requiring proof of vaccination. Or, in the case of New York and San Francisco, entire major cities are mandating it for many activities.

Komori and McManus have a track record as local trendsetters — and not only because of their artistic, ambitious food. Komori sits on the board of City of Good, a nonprofit that helps feed vulnerable populations in our community. McManus is on the board of the Downtown Boise Association.

“We care about this community and city,” McManus says. “We are deeply invested and integrated into it. Kin supports a different charity every month by donating a portion of proceeds. We helped to create City of Good and FARE Idaho. We are here to be a part of the city and hope to provide a fun, safe, and welcoming environment for guests to enjoy.”

If customers want a taste of Kin’s cuisine but don’t want to show proof of vaccination or testing, PiKINic events will continue for several more weeks, at least. Kin also is an official outdoor venue for Treefort Music Fest, which is Sept. 22-26. Treefort recently announced its own COVID policy, which will include proof of vaccination or a negative test within 72 hours.

But there’s no Boise dining experience quite like sitting down for a Komori-guided tour of the senses.

At recent soft opening events, the togetherness in Kin’s tasting room — the “jovial buzz,” as Komori says — was palpable.

“We got a lot of messages from the people that we’ve had in that it’s the most normal that they’ve felt in years,” McManus says. “They feel like they’re home. We feel like it, too. We’re doing the things that we actually built our reputation on.”

Kin is still getting the word out about its tasting room and COVID-19 policies, but reservations are beginning to fill up.

Komori and McManus say the talented Kin team is looking forward excitedly to doing what it does best.

“We’ve adapted so many times,” Komori says with a soft laugh, “that we almost lost who we were.”

This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 4:00 AM.