How would you like to pick up a fully equipped and established restaurant in a fantastic neighborhood for $150? Who wouldn’t! Well, meet Shawn McKerness, the new owner of Das Gasthaus restaurant in Toronto.
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Earlier this year, Das Gasthaus’s owner Ruthie Cummings decided to give up ownership of her Toronto eatery in order to care for her aging parents, who are both in their 80s. But instead of selling her restaurant using traditional methods, Cummings decided to give someone passionate about the industry an opportunity to obtain the establishment without the burden of debt.
To make this happen, Cummings decided to raffle off up to 4000 tickets at $150 each with the money going towards paying off outstanding debts. Cummings ended up selling around 500 tickets and raised about $75,000, which she says will go towards paying off loans.
Yesterday, Shawn McKerness became the new owner of Das Gasthaus after his name was pulled from the proverbial hat. You can watch that play out in the video below.
Das Gasthaus takes to Twitter to congratulate Shawn McKerness on winning the restaurant raffle.
Congrats to Shawn McKerness of Windsor in the Win A Restaurant contest! Ticket #4190 #winarestaurant #toronto https://t.co/fqXWVCRqX1
— Das Gasthaus (@DasGasthausTO) December 30, 2015
Cummings explains why she decided to give up on her dream to operate a restaurant and raffle it off.