A Canadian restaurant was forced to end its free meal program for the less fortunate after the government cracked down on the restaurant because the vouchers were only in English.
Abdul Rasia Khan is the owner of Mama Khan Restaurant in Montreal, Canada.
Kahn came up with the “Pay It Forward Program,” which gives free food vouchers to people in need if customers donate at least $5. The vouchers are hung on the wall, allowing anyone to enjoy a free meal. The charity program began last year.
“It’s been very successful. We’ve distributed over 712 free meals,” Khan said of the program.
Khan, who said he wanted to be a social worker when he was younger, noted that charity is an important part of the Pakistani restaurant he runs with his mother.
His family-owned restaurant also handed out free meals during the 2023 ice storm and provided free meals to people when the power was out.
While working 90-hour weeks, Khan hired a professional graphic designer to create and print the vouchers, spending $400 on the project.
But the government warned that Mr Khan would be penalised if he gave away free meals to charity because the vouchers were only in English.
Khan reportedly received a warning letter from the Quebec French Language Agency, the region’s language enforcement authority.
The government reportedly told Khan that commercial publications in Quebec must give priority to the French language, and that English-only advertising will be subject to fines.
Khan is Global News“I was a bit surprised that the government reported us as not being bilingual.”
He added, “I didn’t know much about the law. This is my first time running a business and I’ve been the owner for a year and a half now.”
Apparently, the Quebec French Language Agency wasn’t targeting Mama Khan, but reportedly received information on Facebook that their coupons were only in English.
“The authorities have not asked Mama Khan restaurant to cancel the vouchers and have never discussed the program with the restaurant,” OQLF spokesman François Laberge told the news agency.
Khan responded: “All I can do from now on is learn from my mistakes and speak bilingually or in French.”
Mama Khan Restaurant statement He posted the following about the current situation on Instagram:
Many people have asked what happened so I spoke with the person who received the complaint and she was wonderful and told me exactly what happened and what triggered the alert. We thank those who support us and apologize for suspending our future services because we do not want to be punished for our activities. We have distributed 712 free meals and supported 11 children with our tutoring program.
Khan said the coupons are no longer available, but anyone in need can still come to his restaurant and eat for free.
“From now on, all I can do is learn from my mistakes and speak bilingually or in French,” Khan declared.
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