Actor Zachary Quinto has been banned from a Toronto restaurant after he berated staff and stormed away from his weekend brunch plans, the eatery’s co-owner said.
Quinto, known for playing the unemotional and logical Mr. Spock, was apparently much less restrained than his “Star Trek” character when he allegedly yelled at staffers at Manita restaurant “like an entitled child,” disrupting other diners as he demanded a table.
“An amazing Spock, but terrible customer,” the restaurant wrote Sunday in a post in its Instagram stories.
“Take your bad vibes elsewhere,” said Manita’s initial post, which has since aged out. “We have many lovely celebrities join us at Manita but you are NOT one of them.”
Unless Quinto formally apologizes, he will not be welcome at Manita, co-owner Ian McGrenaghan said in an email to The Times.
Manita later reposted the story on its grid, writing in the caption, “We aren’t above criticism, but we are above being demeaned… Manita is deeply grateful for our mostly incredible, friendly, gracious guests.”
Representatives for Quinto did not respond Monday to The Times’ requests for comment. On social media, the actor posted only about festivities from his 47th birthday over the weekend, including a trip to Canada’s Wonderland theme park.
Quinto rode the Drop Tower at the park, where he was with his “Brilliant Minds” co-stars Tamberla Perry, Alex MacNicoll and Spence Moore II. The actor has been filming in Toronto since the end of March, portraying “revolutionary neurologist” Dr. Oliver Wolf in the new NBC medical drama set to premiere in September.
Celebrities acting like prima donnas toward restaurant personnel isn’t anything new. TikTok creator Julia Carolan rated Kylie Jenner’s cold demeanor toward staff at a high-end Manhattan restaurant, and Hailey Bieber apologized publicly after Carolan said she was “not nice” to waiters. James Corden famously was banned for a day from Balthazar, a high-end French restaurant in New York City, until he “apologized profusely” to the owner — who had previously called him “a tiny Cretin of a man.”
But people have also posted anonymously to Reddit to praise celebrities like Michael B. Jordan and Adam Scott for tipping servers well.
Meanwhile, hundreds of commenters took to Quinto’s most recent Instagram post, a video of him playing the banjo, to leave heated opinions about his behavior.
“The way someone treats staff and others is usually a great way to see someone’s true character,” one comment read.
The Ontario Small Business Community, which showcases local mom-and-pop shops, chimed in too. “Could you kindly apologize to the local and independent restaurants you terrorized this weekend?” the online platform asked. “Thanks and welcome to Ontario Canada. We like and respect our small businesses here.”
Some had arrived at Quinto’s page searching for a repentant statement in response to the public backlash. “I absolutely cannot wait for the ‘apology’ post,” a user added, indicating his doubt about the sincerity of any plea for forgiveness.
But other spectators made it known that they were looking for the drama. “Came for the comments, not disappointed,” one wrote.
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