vax pass ontario

Toronto restaurant that kept vax pass in place finally dropping it

A Toronto diner that was one of the last to drop vax pass requirements for entry has finally dropped that restriction, along with masking.

Staff and customers at Rosedale Diner had previously mutually agreed that keeping the passport and other restrictions in place was best for all.

Reasoning for initially keeping restrictions in place was that it's difficult to distance in the tiny diner, most customers are regulars, and staff were willing to explain their decision to anyone unhappy with it.

Rosedale owner Gil Filar called continuing to check the passes "the bare minumum," saying, "This thing isn't over."

Now, the restaurant known for its breakfasts, burgers and other comfort fare has officially announced you no longer need to show proof of vaccination to eat there.

"We've decided it's time we'll no longer require vaccine passports or insist on masks, seeing as the weather is warming up and the city has removed its state of emergency," reads a social media post from Rosedale Diner.

"Our staff will continue to mask. We fought the battle for quite some time. Thanks for everyone's understanding."

A comment from another restaurant, Rebel House, indicates that other local businesses that have continued with practices like masking feel similarly: "We were just talking yesterday about doing the same thing."

"We're dropping restrictions," Filar tells blogTO. "We've held on for a long while and it's become more difficult to enforce, and with the city dropping the state of emergency and the weather warming up, we felt it best to remove them now."

Lead photo by

Rosedale Diner


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