Kabuli Authentic Afghan Cuisine & Cafe in Saskatoon

There is an "Afghan" restaurant in Saskatoon, Canada. It is called "Kabuli Authentic Afghan Cuisine & Café" or "Kabuli Cafe". It is located at 325 3rd Ave N, Saskatoon. My sister worked in this restaurant for a few months. She was underpaid, $12 an hour, while others were paid $15 and above. She was told that a trial was needed, and then she would be on payroll, which never happened. The owner still owes $450 and refused to pay my sister's salary, and she could not file a complaint because the restaurant owner refused to provide paperwork. I looked at a few transactions in my sister's bank account. To my surprise, the payment was accompanied by slurs and curses, which my sister did not understand because her English is not very good. One transaction with an optional message goes “here is your money, stupid woman.” When I told her what her boss wrote to her, she felt sorry about her and her situation. "Maybe her malicious comments had to do with her children; she is being mistreated by them," she said in an empathic tone. "She mistreated you in the kitchen, cursed you, didn't allow you to have a cup of tea in her restaurant, and you are still showing sympathy? I said, annoyed. "No, lalai jan (dear brother), she has been having issues," she responded. I was surprised to see my sister never showed anger towards her boss despite being mistreated and not being paid for her hard work.

But I did not understand the owner’s malice towards her employee, and why would there be such contempt and foul language? If my sister is right that she is being abused by her children (they are adults), why should she abuse her employee in turn? I remember once my sister worked until midnight because her boss begged her to come that night due to a shortage of staff, while her two children were left alone at home. The owner of the restaurant is a middle-aged, widowed woman from Afghanistan who has lived in India for several years and resettled in Saskatoon a few years ago.

I visited Saskatoon a few times and never went to this restaurant, not that I did not want to, or I did not like Afghanistani food, but simply because of my distrust in the restaurant's food quality and hygiene.

What I am writing here is based on what my sister told me. The food at Kabuli Cafe is always prepared and cooked at home, then kept in the freezer for several days. When needed, the food was taken out and heated in the microwave for customers, except for the Kebab. The owner deliberately prioritizes white customers over brown and even people from her own culture, Muslims. For instance, leftovers from customers are collected and put together to cater to non-white customers. This, she doesn't do to white Canadians. Chakni leftovers are always given to Afghan customers and are always used in the same bowls and plates that are rinsed and reused. After rinsing, she reuses the same plastic disposable plates and utensils for customers several times. My sister protested against giving leftovers to customers. "Awghana khar khoran," (Afghans are eating anything), that was her reaction to my sister's objection.

The restaurant does not serve halal. I have to be honest. If you are Muslim and care about Islamic values, this restaurant does not serve halal meat as it claims. The owner had instructed my sister and other employees to inform customers, if asked, that their meat is sourced from a butcher farm and is halal. Actually, the meat she always bought from Walmart was basically non-halal.

One of the most egregious things the owner does is ask my sister and other employees to empty the toilet's trash into the kitchen trash. She wants to save money on bags. The trash was often filled with diapers and smelled of poop, and so, the kitchen smelled horribly. My sister had to put on a mask all the time. The owner herself doesn't have a sense of smell.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada need to investigate this restaurant for hygiene. People will get sick. The kitchen is in a horrible shape, and the woman who owns it is unable to manage it well. She is a depressed widow and often fights with her children and comes to the restaurant agitated. When she comes to the restaurant, she releases her pent-up anger on the employees.

My suggestion is: avoid this restaurant at all costs.

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