<div dir="rtl"><div dir="ltr">As far as bishul yisrael cosiderations go, the "kippah policy" under discussion seems a little counterintuitive. Usually, if I see somebody wearing a kippah, then I can make a reasonable assumption that he chose to wear it because he is an observant Jew. But I know that the kippah is required as part of the company dress code, then I can no longer make that assumption. Yes, it may be that every Jew has a chezkas kashrus until demonstrated otherwise whether he wears a kippah or not. I'm just saying that if one does not start with that assumption, then I think that the "mandatory kippah" policy would be counterproductive.</div>
<div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Leaving the bishul akum issue aside, I can see a restaurant owner reasoning to himself, "Really, we have the appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the kashrus of the food regardless of the fact that people who are not observant Jews are working here. But because we know that customers may irrationally feel more confident of the kashrus if they think that all of the employees are observant Jews, we will institute a dress code that will lead customers to a correct conclusion (that the food is reliably kosher) based on incorrect assumptions." The relevant halachic question then becomes whether or not such reasoning constitutes ona'ah.</div>
<div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">In defense of the policy, though, it may just be analogous to a business requiring its employees to wear ties, even though nobody expects customers to think that the employees continue wearing their ties after they go home. There is an intangible customer service benefit to having customers interact with employees who are "properly dressed," and in a religious neighborhood, being properly dressed includes wearing a kippah.</div>
<div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">-- D.C.</div></div>