My friends and I used to go to the Old Sod frequently when we were younger and always had a fun, attitude-free, good time. We've all moved back to Etobicoke and went to the Old Sod again last night, thinking that we might frequent it more often now that we're back in the neighbourhood.
Unfortunately, we were subjected to two aggressive, abusive customers and no one did anything about it. There was a Jays game on and we went to an open spot at the bar to order a drink. A grown man in his fifties (not some teenage boy who doesn't know better) literally grabs my friend, shoves her out, and yells that we're in his way (the game is on a TV that is hanging 3 to 4 feet above my tallest friend's head). All the while, this gentleman's lady friend is screaming at us, calling us cows and other curse words reserved for women. To be clear, the only thing we did was approach the bar to get a drink. The man shoves his way to the bar and demands that the bartender serve us so that we can get out of his way. My friend clearly told the man and the bartender that he was being aggressive and abusive and had manhandled our friend. I could tell the bartender felt bad for us, and gave us the drinks on the house, but did nothing to remove the man or make the situation safe or comfortable for us. The man returned to his seat and he and his lady friend continued to be verbally abusive until we moved. They continued to rant while we stood by a wall and the waitress spoke to them and gave them a "warning" but they continued to insist that we were being rude by having approached the bar in front of them (there was about five feet of space between them and the bar). We clearly told the waitress that they had been abusive, aggressive and that we felt unsafe but she said that since she had given him a warning, she couldn't do anything unless he tried something again. Whenever a man got between him and the bar, he would politely ask the man to move. We finished our beers and left.
In the past, we spent a lot of nights at Old Sod where we partied pretty hard but it always felt like a community and we were never subjected to that kind of physical and verbal behavior. We understand that jerks come and go but we do hold the bar responsible for creating an unsafe place and for allowing physical and verbal abuse of their patrons. I was especially disappointed because I had heard that the bar had been bought by new owner and was looking forward to seeing whether it was the same vibe as before. What a disappointment. So for women going there without guys, you should know that if someone pushes you, grabs you, calls you a cow, or any other type of behavior along those lines, you have no recourse and no one will hold them accountable. We definitely won't go again and I'm so sad to write this post about a place I have such a history with and loved. read more