Staff at a small Nova Scotia diner are celebrating after winning a multi-million dollar lottery jackpot.
Five employees from the Snack Shack in Kentville had all six winning numbers in the Atlantic Lottery Jackpot, worth $15,222,777.
Stephanie Dunham, Valerie Archer, Joanne Gillis, Mary Rhynold and Snack Shack owner Wafaa Toulany have been purchasing lotto tickets as a group for several years, using the same numbers each time.
This is their first big Lotto 6/49 win.
Toulany says two customers were waiting outside the diner when she arrived Thursday morning and they told her someone from Kentville had won the lottery.
“I told my other employee, I said ‘go check our ticket,’ so she went to check our ticket and she couldn’t read it right first,” says Toulany. “She thought $15,000 then she goes ‘No! We got it! $15 million!’ And she froze.”
Gillis says she didn’t believe the news at first, thinking someone was playing a joke on her.
“I had a customer come knocking at my door at 20 after seven this morning, Sam Vaughan, and he told me that I had to get dressed and go up to work,” says Gillis, a cook at the Snack Shack.
“I said ‘Oh my gosh, what happened? He said ‘you’re $3 million richer’ and I said ‘this is an awful joke.’
Gillis’ family says they are overwhelmed by the news.
“She struggled all her life and brought up three girls on her own,” says Gillis’ sister, Cheryl Melvin. “I mean, with family’s help, but yeah, no one more deserving.”
“We’ve all had hard times lately and it’s just a miracle,” says Gillis’ mother Marilyn.
The five employees were back at work Thursday, serving up pancakes to elated customers.
“I told them I wrote down all my tips for the last two months and I’d like them back!” says customer Gary Steele.
There was a steady stream of customers, family members and friends to the diner on Thursday, all wanting to offer their congratulations.
“I had five marriage proposals this morning,” jokes Archer, adding that she turned them all down.
“We’ve had balloons and people calling and it’s really, really good.”
Toulany says they purchased the winning ticket at the diner, but she checked with Atlantic Lottery, who confirmed the women had followed all the proper procedures.
Toulany says she plans to sell the diner, buy a home and retire.
“It didn’t sink in at first, but now it’s starting a little bit,” she says.
Toulany’s employees say they plan to work at the Snack Shack until she has hired more workers to replace them.
“We can’t leave her all high and dry, everybody walk out,” says Gillis. “We couldn’t leave her until she hires somebody. But I think I’ll cut back my hours.”
