Six people were arrested after a group of protesters refused to leave a New York restaurant when they were asked for proof of their Covid-19 vaccination status.

A group of around 50 anti-vaccine mandate protesters staged a 'sit-in' at the Cheesecake Factory in Queens Center Mall on Tuesday after they were refused service for not proving their vaccination status.

The next day, four people were arrested when another group of demonstrators descended on Applebee's, in the same Queens mall. Video footage showed protesters chanting 'no more mandate' as people were restrained by officers.

The city's strict rules require people dining indoors, going to the gym, or attending entertainment events, to produce proof that they have been vaccinated.

At the Cheesecake Factory, the group, which included young children, were asked for their vaccination cards, which they did not have, leading to them being denied service, Fox News reported.

War veteran Mitchell Bosch, one of the people who was arrested, told the TV channel the group staged a non-violent protest in the restaurant and the police were called at around 7pm when they refused to leave. 

Six people - Bosch, Eric Bascon, 38, Graig Young, 37, Augusto Alarcon, 39, Raymond Velez, 36, and Steven Wavra, 67 - were arrested at 9.45pm and cited for criminal trespassing, according to the New York Police Department.

The following night, police were called to an Applebee's in Queens at around 9pm as another group gathered to protest the vaccine mandate. 

Video footage, taken by photographer Leeroy Johnson, showed police officers restraining protesters inside the venue, with one man saying it was 'unbelievable' as he was escorted out by officers.