Toronto bar forced to make changes after someone complained to City officials
A neighbourhood bar in Toronto was unexpectedly forced to make changes to its sidewalk patio after a local resident submitted a complaint to City officials.
99 Bottles, located at 925 Kingston Rd., is a licenced cafe and boutique shop selling an assortment of beer, wine, spirits, non-alcoholic beverages, and a variety of appetizers, snacks, and easy-to-prepare meals.
Last week, one of the shop's owners, Gabriela Holland, posted a message on a community Facebook page and notified patrons that the shop's outdoor patio had to be altered thanks to a complaint that was made to the City.
Dozens of local residents and loyal customers poured into the comments section in defence of the business, and questioned why anyone would try to get rid of the shop's outdoor patio, especially when it doesn't disrupt pedestrian traffic.
"I'm done with miserable people trying to spread their misery! You guys are great and are offering our community a wonderful place to meet. Keep doing what you’re doing," one comment under the post reads.
"I have never heard of your place before but sorry this happened. It's so hard to run a business these days then you get people doing this crap… So sorry some people suck," another person wrote.
"So disappointing. Love your business and don’t understand why this is a priority concern for anyone," said another resident, while others called the outdoor patio a "highlight" along this particular stretch of Kingston Road.
Holland told blogTO that the complaint specifically involved two tables that were located close to the street outside the business. While the shop does have a licence for a sidewalk patio, the two tables in question were not part of the licence.
Still, Holland says that the business has never had an issue with this before, as the sidewalk is wide enough to accommodate both the tables and pedestrian traffic.
"It feels like the City is never on our side," Holland said.
In a statement to blogTO, the City said that the business has a permit that allows them to occupy space on the sidewalk that does not interfere with pedestrian use.
"The City received a public complaint for this patio occupying space on the pedestrian right of way, beyond what their permit allows for. An enforcement officer attended for inspection and determined that a portion of the patio set up is not in compliance with their permit, as they added more seating beyond the approved site plan — which is encroaching on the pedestrian right of way," the statement reads.
They also stated that the business was issued "a verbal warning and advised they need to remove the additional seating they have added to come back into compliance with the permit. They continue to have approved sidewalk seating adjacent to their business."
Although the two tables have since been removed, Holland said that the business has closed its sidewalk patio anyway since temperatures are quickly declining.
99 Bottles
Join the conversation Load comments