WATCH: A Montreal restaurant owner who has given out hundreds of free meals as part of a pay-it-forward program has put a stop to the initiative over a language complaint. He was giving out free meal vouchers to the needy but the coupon only had the English word "free" and failed to sport the French equivalent. As Global's Dan Spector reports, the language watchdog’s decision to step in is not sitting well with the restaurant owner.
They gave out free meals during the 2023 ice storm, and offer people meals for free during power outages. “I wasn’t aware too much of the law. It’s my first time running a business. It’s been a year and a half I’m the owner,” he explained. “I thought it was a joke,” Lee said of Khan removing the pay-it-forward program because of the language complaint. “I plan to head down there and add a few tickets of my own, and sponsor a few tickets to him. Hopefully that helps.”“The Office did not ask the restaurant Mama Khan to destroy its meal coupons. The program was never discussed with the business,” said OQLF spokesperson François Laberge.