Skip to main content

Toronto restaurant asking unvaccinated people to sit outside

Share
TORONTO -

A Toronto restaurant is requesting that unvaccinated patrons now choose to sit outdoors.

Oakwood Hardware Food & Drink, located at 337 Oakwood Avenue in York, made the announcement on their Instagram account, run by owner and chef Anne Sorrenti, Sunday.

“With the volatility of the weather and our limited capacity to have diners indoors, we ask respectfully that if you are not vaccinated, that you choose outdoor dining when available,” the restaurant’s statement reads.

Ownership is underlining that this is a recommendation and that they will be operating on the honour system.

“Notice that I said choose - this is on an honour system and we would hope that people would understand that the well-being of our staff and clientele combined with the precarious nature of lockdowns have us wary.” 

While the business specified that all of their employees are vaccinated, they said the decision is not meant to be a debate on vaccines.

“It is about the fact that since there is no provincially mandated “passport,” each business has to make up [their] own guidelines with regard to vaccinated [and] unvaccinated diners indoors,” the statement reads.

On Tuesday, Toronto city councillor Josh Matlow spoke out on Oakwood Hardware's decision, stating that he was "proud" of them.

"[Oakwood Hardware] is an amazing restaurant in the heart of our Oakwood-Vaughan community. They’re asking those who aren’t vaccinated to dine outside. A gutsy & smart move to protect their customers’ health. I’m proud of them. Their cooking also happens to be so damn good," Matlow wrote on his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, Oakwood Hardware is acknowledging that their decision may lose them some customers.

“I do not set these parameters without full awareness that it may impact business adversely with some of you,” the statement reads.

“Be that as it may, we require masks indoors and in public spaces when not eating or drinking, contact tracing, and we expect that these minor asks will make us all a little safer.”

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49

A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.

Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks

Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.

Stay Connected