What to know
- Valerie, an Asian Toronto resident, says she had to wait over an hour for a table at Earls Financial District while white customers were seated immediately.
- After being quoted a 1-1.5-hour wait time, her friend was told only a five-to-ten-minute wait, raising questions about inconsistency and possible racial profiling.
- Valerie posted her experience and email exchanges with Earls management online, where it went viral and prompted similar stories from other customers and former employees.
- Earls apologized and conducted an internal investigation, but Valerie and others described the response as “damage control” and called for better staff training and accountability.
A Toronto resident is calling out Earls Financial District, alleging she was left waiting for a table while other customers walked in and were seated ahead of her — and she believes race played a role.
On Sept. 25, a Toronto woman named Valerie arrived at the restaurant around 5:15 p.m., expecting a wait due to happy hour. She recalls watching two white women without a reservation get offered two tables right away.
Valerie assumed she could take the next available table that others declined, but was instead allegedly told she’d need to wait up to an hour and a half for a seat.
Later, Valerie’s friend asked for a table and was supposedly quoted a much shorter wait: just five to ten minutes.
Valerie’s first reaction was confusion.
“My immediate thought was that it was because I was wearing a backpack and they didn’t want to serve me. But after seeing many people with backpacks and no clear dress code, I was just even more confused,” she said.
With no clear explanation as to why she had been singled out, she believes they had discriminated against her.
After finally being able to get a table, she stayed for her meal but left feeling unsettled. Afterwards, she emailed the general manager.
Their response led to even more confusion and no answers: “Unfortunately, I was not able to identify a specific reason why you were quoted a 1-1.5 hour wait,” they wrote in an email to Valarie.
Frustrated by what she saw as dismissive responses, Valerie posted a video about her experience, sharing her email exchanges with the manager online.
She says she wished Earls had taken more accountability and properly investigated her concerns.
Only after her video went viral did the Head of Operations for Eastern Canada reach out.
In the email exchange, Earls apologized and conducted a larger investigation, but Valerie believes it felt like “damage control.”
“I understand mistakes happen, and had that been the case, I would have understood. But now, the inconsistency in responses makes me feel like it’s just damage control after my video gained attention,” she told Now Toronto.
She also wishes she’d spoken up at the moment at the restaurant.
“After making my video, I received a lot of comments and DMs from other people who have witnessed or experienced similar situations. This included former and current employees who validated my feelings and encouraged me to stick up for myself. Reading these comments made me realize how often these things happen, yet barely get spoken about,” she said.
“I have no problem speaking up when something happens to a friend, but when it happens to me, I freeze,” Valerie added.
After this experience, Valerie hopes Earls’ staff will receive better customer service training.
Commenters on TikTok shared similar experiences.
Earls responds
The restaurant has released a statement in light of the incident.
“Earls takes all guest feedback very seriously, and a member of our senior leadership team has contacted this guest directly. Earls has a zero tolerance policy on discrimination of any kind, and we expect all guests to be treated with respect, consideration and cooperation,” an Earls spokesperson told Now Toronto.
