A generous Penticton business owner is once again stepping up to help out workers affected by COVID-19 restrictions.
Don Gigliotti, the owner of Corleone’s Pizzeria and Caffè D’Italia, first used his newly opened pizza shop Corleone’s to offer free pizza to anyone affected by the first-round of COVID-19 layoffs in 2020.
Now, as B.C. announced restrictions that put an end to indoor dining from March 30 to April 29, Gigliotti has once again offered to help people out.
Gigliotti is offering free coffee and a bag of small biscotti cookies from his newest venture, Caffè D’Italia, to people who may now be facing a temporary layoff or fewer shifts at their restaurant.
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“When COVID first hit, we had just opened our sister company Corleone’s and dealt with the many challenges that come with opening a new business —especially during a pandemic. We tried our best to help the community where we could,” Gigliotti said on Facebook.
Like many other businesses, Caffè D’Italia will also be forced to transition to take-out only until April 19th.
“We know the news today will impact not only us but so many others in the hospitality industry. We know many of our friends and peers will face reduced hours, or perhaps even lose their jobs,” Gigliotti said.
”Similarly to what we did at Corleone’s, we want to support our fellow hospitality workers by offering complimentary drip coffee as well as a goodie bag of mini biscotti as a sign of our love and empathy during these continuously trying times. We will be doing this as long as we can, and we hope you’ll take us up on it.”
Caffè D’Italia is open for take-out from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
READ MORE: Business owner extends offer of support to anyone unemployed due to COVID-19
jesse.day@pentictonwesternnews.com
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