Tocador temporarily closed after allowing guests to dance on NYE
A Vancouver restaurant claims it’s being forced to close for three days after guests were caught dancing at a New Year’s Eve party on December 31, 2023.
The Latin American-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar Tocador will be closed from February 25 to 27.
“We were written up for allowing our guests to dance and for being over capacity by about 20 people,” said Tocador.
Tocador said the City has suspended its liquor licence for three days, making this its first offence in the six years it’s been open.
“They gave us this decision two days before our 40K COVID loans had to legally be paid back,” continued Tocador.
“We are incredibly disappointed with the government’s decision and lack of empathy for restaurants and small businesses. It really comes across like they don’t understand how serious the crisis is for restaurants right now.”
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Tocador noted the damage has unfortunately been done with an “extreme amount of restaurants” closing for good in the last few years.
“If the government doesn’t find a way to show better support or even to just not be so heavy with its rules and restrictions then we are very afraid that soon there will be very few independent businesses left in BC.”
Multiple Vancouver restaurants have left comments in support of Tocador.
“The brewing industry is in the same state as the restaurants so we 100% understand and agree with your statement,” said Powell Brewing. “I’ve been saying it for years, we won’t see mom and pop, independent anything anymore at this rate.”
“The government definitely doesn’t have a clue on the state of our industry,” commented Bodega on Main.
However, Vancouver Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung took to X to share a different side of the story.
She posted that she had “verified City of Vancouver staff have not met with the restaurant and did not suspend their licence” and that it was instead a provincial liquor inspector who enforced the infractions.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General told Dished that “LCRB Inspectors conducted an inspection of the establishment and took enforcement action to address the infraction of overcrowding” and that Tocador “chose to take the three-day licence suspension over a monetary penalty.”
“Overcrowding poses a serious safety risk to patrons and staff alike,” concluded the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
Tocador will be back in operation on Wednesday, February 28.
Dished has reached out to Tocador for more information.
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