The $150 Restaurant Contest has resumed

The $150 Restaurant Contest has resumed, with Das Gasthaus restaurant as the prize.

TORONTO – Following a brief legal hiccup, the contest to win Das Gasthaus restaurant has resumed.

Ruthie Cummings first launched the $150 Restaurant Contest in September. However, the company she first partnered with to administer the raffle was located in the United States and legally prohibited from operating a Canadian contest.

In November, Cummings announced she has partnered with Moneris to assist with the contest. Cummings said all legal hurdles have been cleared.

“We’re completely confident. It’s going to work really well,” Cummings said.

For the contest, Cummings is selling $150 raffle tickets to win Das Gasthaus, a 1,500-square-foot, 35-seat restaurant in The Danforth and Broadview neighbourhood of Toronto. The restaurant also includes 20 additional seats for private functions.

The holder of the winning ticket will receive all of the restaurant’s equipment, recipes and 30 days of assistance from Cummings if required. The winner will also be required to sign a new lease with the property’s landlord.

“I put my heart and soul into this place. It is an emotional separation for me, but it’s neat to see someone come in with the same drive,” Cummings said. “It makes me a bit happier walking away from it.”

Cummings is holding the raffle in order to care for her elderly parents, who live three hours outside of Toronto.

“I’m moving in with them at home to help them. They’re terrified of moving into a seniors home,” Cummings said. “I’m going to help them with their day-to-day lives.”

A contest, rather than a traditional sale, will help expedite the process of joining her parents. 

“If we did a straight up sale, I could get enough money to cover it. The problem is my parents’ need is greater than the amount of time it would take to sell,” Cummings said. “My mom doesn’t have the time to wait for due process to happen.”

She added the contest is a way to “pay it forward” to an aspiring restaurateur who might not have had the capital to start his or her own business. 

“It took me a long time to save the money to do what I wanted to do. I know there are a lot of people out there with the same passion without the financial ability,” Cummings said. “This sets them up to have a business without the initial investment.”

Cummings said the original contest sold about half of the 4,000 available tickets, but the money was refunded.

“I have a list of the people who did the original purchase. I’m in the process of letting them know it’s back on,” she said.

Ticket sales end on Dec. 24 with the draw held on Dec. 30. Each ticket sold includes a barcode, which will be physically drawn by Cummings.

“We don’t actually see the name until we scan the barcode. It keeps it more anonymous,” she said. “We want to keep a level of legitimacy. It makes people feel very comfortable buying the tickets.”

To purchase a ticket, visit winarestaurant.com.