niceys eatery toronto

Toronto restaurant offers free meal to devoted customer locked out by snowstorm

Though roads and sidewalks in Toronto are slowly getting cleared off and most things are now back up and running, it was only a few days ago that much of the province was buried in historic amounts of snow amid a massive blizzard that shut down highways, caused chaos for public transit and air travel, and even halted mail delivery.

Amid the rest of the mess on Monday, some GTA malls decided to close early and local businesses opted to take the day off while most residents were unable to get anywhere or do anything but hunker down at home.

For anyone who didn't have provisions on hand, food delivery apps were out of service for many hours, meaning that a trip to the grocery store or a nearby restaurant for takeout were the only options.

And, sadly for one hungry person who had their heart set on a warm meal from Jamaican staple Nicey's Eatery, their dreams were crushed when they actually made it to the restaurant in the middle of the storm.

The Scarborough business posted security cam footage of the unfortunate individual, who is seen trudging through knee-deep snow drifts to get to the front door of Nicey's, only to realize it was closed for the day due to the weather.

Frustrated, he falls to his knees to mourn the loss of what would have been a delicious, highly-anticipated and well-earned meal in the sub-zero temps.

Thankfully, the restaurant has offered the man a consolation prize for his dedication to their food.

"To our loyal customer, we don't know who you are but we will be looking out for you," staff wrote alongside the security video on Tuesday.

"We are terribly sorry the restaurant was closed. We feel your disappointment and hope to see you soon. What ever you had on your mind to purchase today, that meal is on us."

The footage has gone completely viral in the day since, with tens of thousands of views and shares on other large accounts.

Commenters empathize with the defeated citizen's situation, saying that watching made them feel the man's exasperation in their soul.

"If that isn't loyalty, idk what is," one person remarked on the 6ixbuzz repost of the same video.

"I felt his pain," more than one other added.

Still another: "Awwww, this is next level disappointment! This goes to show how incredible the food AND service is though!"

Residents are now trying to find out who the person in the video is so they can see the post and get their free meal. Clearly, just like exhausted shovelling kid, the man in question has aptly captured Toronto's feelings about the recent weather.

Lead photo by

@niceys,eatery


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Eat & Drink

Toronto chef responds to brutal review of his Italian restaurant

Toronto restaurant causing a stir over perplexing dress code rules

People are flocking to an Ontario restaurant to try its award winning pizza

10 sports bars in Toronto to watch Leafs playoff games

5 Egyptian restaurants in Toronto you need to try at least once

Banana pudding and burgers is Toronto's latest viral food craze

World famous Chinese restaurant opening in Toronto this spring

Star Wars weekend coming to Toronto bar next month