Montreal bar apologizes for turning away soldiers
MONTREAL — Montreal restobar Furco is under fire after turning away a group of uniformed soldiers last weekend.
Reservists from the Canadian Grenadier Guards say they were turned away at the door after being told by staff that having military personnel in the bar was bad for business and that they would intimidate other patrons.
The incident happened about 1 a.m. Sunday when a group of about two dozen reservists showed up at the trendy restobar after leaving their annual regimental ball; the night is one of the only times it is permissible for them to wear their military dress uniform in public.
The group left the ball and headed to Furco in two groups. When the first group of about 10 people arrived at the bar, they were seated and served without a problem. When the second group arrived 20 minutes later and tried to join their party, they were turned away at the door.
One reservist says he was told by the doorman that the restaurant did not want more than 10 uniformed members of the military in the restaurant at a time because their male clientele might feel intimidated.
Another member of the group wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook page that after pleading with management to be let in, the group was told their money was not wanted, and they weren’t the restaurant’s type of patron.
Alejandra Ponce, one of Furco’s owners, says the incident is an unfortunate misunderstanding.
Ponce says the men were denied access because they arrived a half-hour before closing and the bar did not have the capacity to accommodate them.
Furco has since posted an apology on its Facebook page.
“It was an unfortunate incident that dampened the night, but they have apologized and we’ve accepted it and so we don’t see a reason to go any further,” said Capt. Corey Anhorn, a public relations officer who was with the group that night.