A restaurant and nightlife spot that took up residence on a busy corner in Toronto just suddenly closed unexpectedly.
Regulars abruptly took to social media to announce their closure as July turned to August.
“As we close the doors to Regulars, we want to remind you that without you, it was simply a building,” reads a relatively vague message, with “P.S. When one door closes, another opens…” in small lettering at the bottom.
Owner Patrick Marzouk (who was previously behind Figures) envisioned Regulars as a modern day Cheers, a space on King West that could be somewhat more casual and inclusive with a chill community vibe, telling blogTO he feels Regulars “gave the city what it lacked.”
To emphasize that community legacy, all proceeds from the last day for Regulars were donated to charity, over $30,000 given to Jake’s House, Healing Wings and Moorelands Kids.
The City took the property over with short notice, too short to transfer the Regulars brand to a different location. The plan is to turn the property into a subway station for Metrolinx.
Marzouk says he’s “working on something new and we’ll see what comes out,” and that he’s “always looking for the next opportunity, but it won’t be another Regulars.”
He’s thinking there’s a possibility that within a new project, a room could possibly be created in homage to Regulars and its bombastic, memorable sense of style with neon signs and a giant gallery wall.
Marzouk is also always working on his cannabis brand Coterie. The last day of service for Regulars was July 31, with the restaurant having to leave the space entirely by August 4.
