A Windsor man has won a lottery and kindly refused the winnings.
Chef Shawn McKerness has turned down an offer to get his own Toronto restaurant.
“It was a lottery and I didn't really gather all the information before I bought the ticket, but then I bought a ticket and won,” says McKerness.
His raffle ticket was pulled from hundreds to win Das Gasthaus restaurant.
The owner, Ruthie Cummings, told CTV News she wanted to sell the operation after three years, to spend more time with her parents. She had hoped to sell 4,000 at $150 each.
Cummings said the money would be used to pay down debt and cover legal fees.
But two months after the draw, the Ministry of Labour says two outstanding complaints remain against the restaurant, filed by employees. The complaints are about who is responsible for final payment of wages, now that the restaurant is closed.
McKerness found out that information not long after the initial excitement died down.
But he went to Toronto anyway to check out the business for himself.
“We talked to local business owners, we studied the area, we did a whole biz plan,” he says.
The restaurant has just 35 seats and costs $6,000 a month for a 12-year lease.
“Our plan didn't spit out a profit that was favourable,” he says.
So McKerness decided to walk away.
“It would have been nice to come away with something, but I walked away with nothing but a few legal bills,” he says.
McKerness is the head chef and part-owner in the City Grill in downtown Windsor and his wife is expecting their first child.
“In a way, it is choosing Windsor over Toronto for sure,” says McKerness.
CTV News reached out to Cummings, both on the phone and in an email, but neither was returned.
