While most eateries in Poway remain closed due to a Precautionary Boil Water Advisory put in place on Saturday, one restaurant owner is reaching into his own pocket to pay his employees as if they were still working.
Mike Pasulka’s Players Sports Grill is one of nearly 250 restaurants in the city that still can’t serve customers.
“We have regulars that come in. They know where they want to sit, we know what they want to eat,” Pasulka said.
But those regulars haven't been able to order their favorites since Saturday night when Pasulka had to close his doors.
Though his water looks fine, he said he’d rather not have any customers getting sick. He’d also rather not have angry employees, so he's paying all 20 of them as if his grill was still open out of his own pocket.
“If I can help them be a little happier and have a little bit better of a month of December, then we are lucky enough that we are able to do it,” Pasulka said. “It'd be nice to have that money in my pocket but dispersing it among the people that have helped me get to where I am is what I think should be done.”
Paying that many employees their normal wages is a tall order considering no money is coming in and Pasulka is throwing food out. He also just found out his insurance policy won’t cover his losses.
A spokesperson for the city of Poway said results from water samples sent to the state could be in as early as Friday.
