Ram Khanal, the owner of the Watertower Grill and Telegraph Taphouse in Lethbridge, made the difficult decision to temporarily close both restaurants after a staff member’s close call with a COVID-19 positive individual last week.
He said the pandemic has already been crippling for a new business without having to shut down again — but he had to make the responsible choice.“All expenses are the exact same or more but income is not as much,” Khanal said Tuesday. “So when the government came forward with wage subsidies, that was a huge relief for us.”After those government wage and rent subsidies ended in April, Khanal said he’s not sure what the future holds for any locally owned restaurants.