Manhattan restaurant 'getting to the bottom of it,' after NY Times tattles it let Sarah Palin dine inside

Sarah Palin sent the pearl-clutching left into a frenzy when she was spotted eating in a New York restaurant – even though she has reportedly not had the COVID vaccine.

The restaurant manager told the vaccine police over at The New York Times that a “mistake” had been made in allowing the former Alaska governor to dine indoors despite reportedly being unvaccinated. COVID-19 rules for indoor spaces in New York City require eateries to check for customers’ vaccine cards before allowing them to enter.

“Sarah Palin, who is unvaccinated, recently dined indoors in New York City before testing positive,” read the New York Times headline on Monday, the day it was reported that she had tested positive for coronavirus.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee was eating Saturday night at Elio’s, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. A restaurant manager, who was not working on that night, confirmed to the Times’ crack team of investigators that Palin, in fact, did dine indoors at the popular establishment.

“We just made a mistake,” said Luca Guaitolini.

“In an interview on Monday, he said that the restaurant checked vaccination cards for all first-time customers but not for regulars who come each week, and that Ms. Palin had dined with a longtime guest, whom he declined to name,” The Times reported.

“She probably just walked in and strolled over” to the table, Guaitolini told the paper. “We are trying to get to the bottom of this.”

The newspaper must have been keenly interested in exposing Palin who is in New York for the trial in her defamation lawsuit against them. Set to begin this week, the trial was postponed to Feb. 3 because of Palin’s positive test result.

SPOTTED having dinner at Elio’s on the Upper East Side, days before her lawsuit against The New York Times kicks off: Sarah Palin

— Shawn McCreesh (@ShawnMcCreesh) January 23, 2022

The Times noted that her lawyers “did not respond to a request for comment” about the restaurant incident.

“We are taking this isolated incident — and unfortunate oversight —very seriously,” Guaitolini said in a statement Monday, according to NBC News. “Elio’s adheres to and believes in the vaccine mandate, and all it is doing to protect our staff, regulars and the dining public.”

City Hall also got in on the meltdown.

“The key to NYC rules were put in place to protect all New Yorkers — including the small businesses that power our city’s economy,” read a statement, according to NBC News. “Ms. Palin needs to respect small business workers and follow the rules just like everyone else.”

Twitter users mocked the breathless reporting:

#OhTheHumanity

— bettegrande (@bettegrande) January 25, 2022

Oh, the horror. Why is this considered news?

— Katrina Hall (@katmhall) January 25, 2022

The fact this is a story is laughable. Think she’s the only one?

— T Snave (@t_snave) January 25, 2022

Holy crap! Where’s the SWAT team?

— dinkydow (@johnueckert) January 25, 2022

Close the city.

— HardAs◇’s (@Willadamus) January 25, 2022

Most of the U.S. does this. Who cares.

— Dr. Burn the Masks Right Now. (@HStowit) January 25, 2022

The world before 🌎
The world after 🌎

— The Professor (@SmoothFlow_) January 25, 2022

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