Kalamazoo restaurant nearly closed for good after burst pipe, $800K in losses
The restaurant closed for nearly three months after a burst pipe caused major damage.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Nidal Awad, owner of Shawarma King at 441 S. Drake Road, went to open his restaurant on Jan. 22 amid sub-zero temperatures.
The door was frozen shut. So much ice and frost had accumulated on the door, he couldn’t see inside. When Awad managed to pry the door open, water trickled out.
A pipe burst and a portion of the kitchen ceiling caved in, he soon realized, marking the start of an $800,000 ordeal to restore the restaurant. The disaster just happened to strike four days after his birthday.
“It was a great birthday gift,” Awad said.
The restaurant reopened on Monday, April 14. Orders quickly came in from loyal customers. But the emotional and financial scars are still hanging over Awad’s head, he said.
“It’s been a journey, and I’m still going through the struggle,” Awad said. “It’s going to take time to recover.”
The restaurant is know for serving fresh and flavorful Mediterranean cuisine.
RELATED: Local Eats: Shawarma King dishes up Mediterranean favorites with customer focus in Kalamazoo
When Awad walked inside Jan. 22, all he could do was shut off the main water line to the restaurant.
“I really didn’t know what to do,” Awad said.
Within a half-hour, a cleaning company arrived. Next, he contacted his employees and figured out how they could be paid as repairs were done.
At the time, Awad wasn’t sure if they’d be able to reopen.
He was on the verge of selling the restaurant in March, but his employees convinced him to keep working toward reopening.
“I got to a point, I was like, ‘OK, I’m done. I don’t want to do this anymore,’” Awad said.
When Awad met with his insurance company for the first time, they advised him everything would be OK. But Awad is still waiting on payouts to cover his losses.
“It’s taken forever,” Awad said. “They tell you everything is covered, all the expenses — it’s not even matching.”
To date, Awad has received around $102,000 to pay contractors, he estimated.
But factoring in damages, inventory loss, payroll and loss of income, Awad estimates the business lost between $700,000 to $800,000.
There’s not enough in the restaurant’s bank account to write himself a paycheck, Awad said. And he still has home payments and other bills to account for.
Some other restaurants offered to let Shawarma King operate out of their kitchens, but that would have been too much work, Awad said.
“I couldn’t chase two birds. I was just focusing on making my place, going back,” Awad said.
Shawarma King had to buy new equipment for most of the kitchen and throw out dumpsters full of food.
Before the temporary closure, Shawarma King fulfilled $10,000 in catering orders every week, Awad said.
“I thought I was controlling my business until that moment,” Awad said. “It was like everything was out of control.”
It’s still too early to say what can be done to overcome losses from the closure, Awad said. But they’ve received a lot of support from other businesses and customers.
“We’re standing and we’re trying our best to see how long it’s going to take (to recover),” Awad said.
Shawarma King on Drake Road is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Orders for catering can be made here.
Kalamazoo also has a Shawarma King on Westnedge Avenue, but the two restaurants are run by different owners with different business models.
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