How a robbery isn’t stopping a Montreal restaurant from doing good
Posted September 14, 2022 4:09 pm.
Last Updated September 14, 2022 7:31 pm.
A Montreal restaurant owner is not being deterred by a string of recent bad luck – a smashed door, a robbery, and even a social media hack.
It’s been a difficult week for Wael Allou, the owner of Al Quds Grillades in the West Island.
But he says that’s not stopping him from doing what he loves: giving back to the community.
“Even if this happens again and again and again, that will not stop us from helping the community,” Allou told CityNews.
The robbery at the Roxboro restaurant on Gouin Boulevard took place in the early hours of Sept. 10.
“Around 2 a.m., two guys came with their car and parked all the way in the back of the parking there,” recounted Allou. “One of them came inside here and he came to the windows, he started looking inside. He found that there’s no one. He went to look here in the back and found a big stone, brought it, threw it on that door and broke the glass.”
The robbers took $1,500 cash.
“We usually don’t leave cash in the register, just the change,” said Allou. “But we left an envelope that had money for our supplier for us. The guy didn’t show up to pick up his money. And unfortunately, at night, the guy came and took it.”
Montreal police were called. After a swift investigation, police arrested a suspect the same day: a 26-year-old man known to authorities.
The SPVM says the robbery was not investigated as a hate crime.
Allou says it’s not the first time his restaurant was robbed.
“I was very, very surprised. They caught him very quick,” he said.
Equally quick was Allou going back to donating to his community.
The restaurant is known for donating food and their time to helping schools, hospitals, and those experiencing homelessness.
“If he’s in need, come to our restaurant and we’ll give him whatever he needs, he don’t have to rob or destroy the business. We are here for the community,” said head chef Imad Elkhouny.
They’re already preparing for another kind gesture in the upcoming days.
“You can maybe break in, you can steal, you can hack our accounts – because they hacked our accounts, our social accounts, a few days ago. So you could do anything. But we will not stop helping the community,” said Allou.
