Montreal restaurant giving away free meals to those without electricity after storm

Raziq Abdul Khan wanted to spread some kindness after the ice storm.

The restaurateur, who owns Mama Khan in the Plateau, alongside his mom ‘Mama Khan’ couldn’t just sit back as thousands of Quebecers sat in the dark and cold after losing power.

“We were like, let’s do a kind gesture to help those that don’t have it,” said Khan.

Roughly 187,000 Quebecers were still without power late Saturday afternoon, three days removed from the ice storm.

Khan is helping by giving away free meals to the community. Something not unusual for him, he says the act of giving was always instilled in him by his mom growing up.

“This is not a time to think about money,” said Khan. “It’s a time people actually need food. So I was like, let’s put our hearts before our pockets.”

“I started seeing news articles. I started seeing people posting on Instagram, social media that they have no electricity.”

Raziq Abdul Khan behind the counter at Mama Khan in the Plateau on April 8, 2023. (CityNews/Felisha Adam)

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At the start of April, the restaurant was giving out free boxes of food for those observing the month of Ramadan. After the ice storm, Khan decided it would only be right to extend that generosity to those without electricity.

“We had over 100 people for the last three days,” he said. “They came and grabed boxes – families, a single person. It was just everybody from different backgrounds.”

Restaurant regular Sophie Dehon, who was impacted by the storm like many around her, called the initiative an important one.

“I had two friends coming over to stay because they didn’t have electricity to shower. They couldn’t cook, they couldn’t charge their phones,” she said.

“Having a warm-cooked meal… it’s heart-warming, your tummy is filled, and when you’re cool, when things are not going right, it takes a good meal like that to turn things around.”

Raziq Abdul Khan in the kitchen at Mama Khan in the Plateau on April 8, 2023. (CityNews/Felisha Adam)

Khan says the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

“I had a client that came up to me … he grabbed a free meal, and then he came up to me, and he came up to one of my coworkers saying that, ‘hey, look, I never got something free in my life.’ And it really touched me. I felt like crying.”

Two-thirds of Quebecers still without power Saturday afternoon were in Montreal.

Khan says the initiative will continue as long as people are still in need and without electricity.

“When it comes to crisis, we should drop everything,” said the owner of Mama Khan. “We should come together, and we should actually help each other.”