The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,July 30,2020 w aterloochronicle.ca Crossword & SudokuAnswers 85 BRIDGEPORT RD. E. WATERLOO (Across from the Bridgeport Rd. Plaza) SINCE 1971 519-893-8118 FURNITURE & MATTRESSES SINCE 1971 Comfort Plus SINCE 1971 FURNITURE & MATTRESSES Comfort Plus SINCE 1971 FURNITURE & MATTRESSES 85 WE HAVE RE-OPENED By Appointment Only WE HAVE RE-OPENED BY APPOINTMENT ONLY PLEASE CALL 519-893-8118 FOR DETAILS MON.,TUES.,WED. 10AM - 6 PM THURS.& FRI. 10AM - 6 PM SATURDAY 9AM - 5 PM SUNDAY 12 PM - 4 PM Naranj, a popular Middle Eastern restau- rant in Waterloo, has permanently closed. Located in West Quarter Plaza at 646 Erb St. W., at the corner of Erbsville Road, the restaurant shut its doors about three weeks ago. There are no signs at Naranj saying it's no longer in business, but the restaurant's phone number is disconnected and its web- site says it is closed. Google lists the restau- rant as permanently closed. On a recent vis- it there was no activity seen inside. Naranj was started in early 2019 by Alaa Nafisa and his wife, Rasha, Syrian refugees who fled to Canada. They left Syria with their two children in 2015 during the Syrian civil war. Their journey to Canada went through Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States up to the Windsor border. Alaa had only $400 in his pocket. His friends and The Working Centre helped him and his family find a house and a job. The owners of Naranj could not be reached for comment. The restaurant opened to good reviews -- 4.5 stars out of 5 from 14 reviews on Yelp, with many of the reviews complimenting the food and the atmosphere. The restau- rant received a 4.6 rating from 563 Google re- views. Naranj's website is naranjrestaurant- .com. With files from Bill Jackson of the Water- loo Chronicle LOCAL RESTAURANT PERMANENTLY CLOSED ALEX PAUL Naranj, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Waterloo, has permanently closed. Alex Paul/photo FOOD AND DRINK Learn More at Marketing360.ca Introducing Marketing 360™ Powered by Star Metroland Media Busy running your small business? Let us help with marketing it.