P.E.I. restaurant owner hits $2M jackpot with scratch ticket

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant a stressful year for the owner of Linda's Coffee Shop in downtown Charlottetown, but he says his financial worries are over following a $2-million Atlantic Lotto win.

Seyedazim Sharif was out buying supplies for the restaurant when he grabbed a 200x Multiplier Scratch'N Win ticket as well. He scratched it before leaving the parking lot and immediately went back inside to claim his prize.

"He was shaking, shaking. I said, 'Calm down, take a breath,'" said Sharif's wife, Zeynab, according to a news release from Atlantic Lotto.

"He couldn't drive, he was shaking so much. We didn't talk for a long time;we were just thinking and thinking."

Business has been slow during the pandemic for Linda's, located near the cruise ship docking area in Charlottetown's downtown tourist area, and public health restrictions have sometimes meant closing up entirely.

Now, rather than worrying about shutting the business down, Sharif is considering expanding, perhaps with a second restaurant.

He has other plans too: Buying a house for his daughter, and whatever his wife and son want, the news release said.

Sharif is also thinking about buying an apartment building to help fill the need for affordable housing in Charlottetown.

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