ruby soho toronto

Toronto restaurant changes its patio rules after it fails to control large crowds

Some newly reopened bars and restaurants are taking heat for not enough social distancing, and one in particular has already decided on a new system patrons must abide by.

Ruby Soho at the corner of King and Portland opened its patio last Wednesday as part of the Stage 2 reopening. After only a few days, things have already gotten out of hand.

Crowds of people milled around the patio all weekend as customers and servers struggled to navigate the space.

As a result, the bar posted a message to its Instagram story yesterday explaining that customers must now book ahead and no lineups will be allowed outside the bar.

ruby soho toronto"We want to thank everyone for their support over the last few days," it begins. "It's been overwhelming and appreciated."

"That said, due to high the demand, and our responsibility as a business to play a roll in the safe reopening of our industry, we have instituted some new measurements."

"Effective immediately, we will no longer allow distanced lineups outside our venue as it's just not working — we have moved to a reservations and walk-up with call back system only. Absolutely no lines at the present time."

Under the COVID-19 Guidelines for Re-Opening your Restaurant document provided by the City of Toronto, establishments are encouraged to use a reservation-only system and record the name of at least one party member for contact tracing purposes.

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


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