Police Showed Up To A $2 Taco Sale At A New Montreal Restaurant To Disperse Huge Crowds
A taco restaurant in Montreal had its grand opening on Saturday, attracting crowds of young customers — as well as the police.
Earlier in the week, Mont Tacos on Rue Saint-Denis ramped up a social media campaign to market a $2 taco promotion for its opening, which began at 1:00 p.m. on November 14.
Social media posts also show the restaurant urging Montrealers to show up at their restaurant for its grand opening, captioning: "IT’S GOING TO BE CRAZY 🧨🧨🧨."
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The restaurant closed temporarily until the situation could be under control.
A spokesperson for the SPVM on Mont-Tacos' grand opening
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During the opening, the restaurant posted images of social distancing signs on the ground outside, but the same images showed customers arriving in swarms early in the day.
As of 4 p.m., the restaurant posted an Instagram story that captures the police presence.
A spokesperson for the SPVM told MTL Blog that the restaurant was forced to close temporarily during the opening to allow police to disperse the crowds.
[rebelmouse-image 26881580 photo_credit="mont_tacos | Instagram" expand=1 original_size="378x618"] mont_tacos | Instagram
The SPVM spokesperson said no fines were issued for violating Quebec's COVID-19 public health protocols.
New Instagram stories posted by the restaurant after 4 p.m. show customers following two-metre social distancing protocols, waiting in single-file lines for tacos outside the doors.
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Mehdi Ouchene, one of the owners of Mont Tacos on Saint-Denis, told MTL Blog he was not expecting such a big turnout.
He said the goal was 100 customers rather than the 5-600 who showed up.
"We were ready to welcome everybody safe and sound," he said. "We did not give [out] any tacos until [...] the line was respected."*
*This article has been updated.
