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Under the Influence

When the city of Dublin banned sandwich boards, Irish pubs put out these instead

Without permission to use sandwich boards to attract business, the Irish had to get resourceful.
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The Guinness iconic Irish dry stout. (Getty Images)
Under the Influence27:26Ham on Wry: Sandwich Board Advertising

In this day and age, the 200-year-old medium of sandwich boards is still heavily in use.

They have been used in many strike situations, with workers walking the picket lines wearing sandwich boards. Even the striking Hollywood writers and actors recently sported them.

In most downtown areas, sandwich boards have been transformed into static advertising signs. Also referred to as "A-frames," these tent-shaped boards are rarely carried by people anymore, but rather placed on sidewalks outside of stores and restaurants. While they do generate awareness, they also create a lot of angst, and a bit of an obstacle course for pedestrians. Leading many cities to try banning them.

Niagara-On-The-Lake banned sandwich boards on its main drag in 2012. Then lifted the ban during the pandemic, to help struggling businesses. Then reinstated the ban in April of 2023.

In 2018, an Ottawa man got three dozen real-estate signs removed from his neighbourhood, when he discovered the signs violated size and location by-laws.

Toronto has been dealing with illegal sandwich signs for decades. According to the city, business owners must purchase a permit to display a sandwich sign. They must have a registered business, a site plan, a photo of the sign, proof of $2 million in liability insurance, and must pay an annual fee of around $120 plus HST. Few do it, and the city doesn't have the resources to police the situation.

The city of Dublin, Ireland, banned sandwich boards, only to discover pub owners resorted to wheeling big beer barrels out onto the streets instead. And now the city has to crack down on beer barrels.

London, England, banned sandwich signs in the West End theatre district in 2008, calling them cheap and ugly, saying, "This is a world class city, not a junk yard."

Someone recently said sandwich boards are the "pop-up ads of the physical world." In an era of expensive media advertising, amusing sandwich boards are rewarded with likes, social media posts and photo-ops. Resulting in a lot of free advertising.

Sandwich boards can attract customers, they can support striking workers, they can make you smile, and they can get you into trouble. 

For more on Sandwich Board Advertising, click or tap the play button above to hear the full Under the Influence episode. Find more episodes on the CBC Listen app or subscribe to the podcast.