Jang Mo Jib restaurant in Burnaby catches fire

by Charlie Smith on April 11th, 2020 at 8:07 AM

1 of 1 2 of 1

Nobody has been injured after a fire broke out in the rear of a popular Korean restaurant in the 5000 block of Kingsway.

Burnaby firefighters extinguished the blaze at Jang Mo Jib, which was only permitted to offer takeout and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are two other Jang Mo Jib restaurants in the region, both in Vancouver.

The fire came at a time when the dining industry is in serious trouble.

On April 2, Restaurants Canada released the results of a survey estimating that 800,000 food-service jobs had been lost due to the novel coronavirus.

Four out of five of the restaurants that responded stated that they had laid off staff.

“Not only was our industry among the first to feel the impacts of COVID-19, we’ve been one of the hardest hit so far, with nearly two thirds of our workforce now lost,” Restaurants Canada president and CEO Shanna Munro said at the time. ”In our 75 years of existence as Canada’s national foodservice association, these are by far the worst numbers we have ever seen.”

The Business Development Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada has made $40 billion in new credit available to small and medium-sized businesses. It has lifted a restriction on companies that relied mostly on revenue from the sale of alcohol, which means bars and lounges are now eligible.

In addition, the federal government has promised to provide wage subsidies of 75 percent to businesses that recorded a 15 percent drop in revenue in March.

Today, legislation is expected to pass in Parliament after Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer announced that his party has agreed to vote in favour.