Downtown London bar fined $55K after worker struck by customer

A downtown London restaurant-bar is facing a five-figure fine after a worker was struck by a customer and hospitalized.

El Furniture Warehouse, located at 645 Richmond St., has been hit with a $55,000 fine following a ruling by Ontario’s Ministry of Labour.

On Nov. 5, 2023, at about 1 a.m., a floor manager asked a worker who was acting as a host to tell a customer to leave. As the worker spoke to the patron, the person “mimicked striking the worker,” the ministry said.

A second later, the patron’s companion struck the worker and both fell to the floor. When the worker tried to stand, the patron struck them again, the ministry said.

The worker called 911 and reported the assault to the floor manager through a social media messaging app. They were taken to hospital and treated for an inj