Restaurant flooded with $300K in expenses

When opening a new business, it’s best to count on unforeseen expenses popping up at the last minute. But two brothers working to open a new restaurant in Charlotte couldn’t possibly have anticipated being inundated with a $300,000 water bill before their restaurant even opened.

Faraz and Faisal Syed said they were deluged with worries that the bill would drown their dream of opening Lazeez Mediterranean Grill on J.W. Clay Boulevard.

But after two months of the Syeds flooding city officials with complaints—and after they reached out to local media outlets—Charlotte reversed course and got the matter straightened out. The city turned off the Syeds’ water three times before the tsunami of a bill was resolved.

The Syeds previously owned Tulip’s Indian Cuisine at the same location but closed the restaurant in the fall and were remodeling for the new restaurant. In March, the Syeds received a water bill for $308,000 that covered a 13-day period.

The Syeds told The Charlotte Observer that the water bill for their previous restaurant was about $1,000 per month.

Apparently, what happened was that someone from Charlotte Water misread the Syeds’ meter. Faisal Syed said Charlotte Water has since apologized.

Let’s hope the Syeds and their restaurant face nothing but calm waters from here on out.