It hasn’t been an easy journey for Barkha and Jesse Daily as they seek to rebuild their Nepalese restaurant The Cheel in Thiensville, but a Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. grant worth $250,000 will help the cause. The village of Thiensville has been approved to receive the Community Development Investment grant, which in turn will help the
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Barkha Limbu Daily and Jesse Daily[/caption]
“This project for The Cheel has been full of speed bumps, from increased financing costs ($25,000) to finding a banking/lending partner because the COVID-19 pandemic decimated the restaurant industry, resulting in fewer lenders willing to fund our restaurant project despite our past and projected future success,” reads the redevelopment narrative.
The Dailys have been approved for financing from Oak Creek-based Tri City National Bank, the Small Business Administration and the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. to rebuild The Cheel.
In addition to increased financing costs, the Dailys have faced issues including increased material costs, which have added over $200,000 to the total project cost, and the discovery that an elevator must be installed on the property, an endeavor that will cost $150,000, according to the redevelopment narrative submitted to WEDC.
Those aren’t the only challenges the couple has faced. During the excavation of the old building structure, workers hit the underground water table sooner than anticipated, so the Dailys had to raise the height of the building another 24 inches. This resulted in another $20,000 in project costs. Total project costs are listed at $2.4 million, according to the redevelopment narrative.
Once the project is completed, a total of 50 jobs are expected to be created at The Cheel, according to the redevelopment narrative.
The construction project to rebuild The Cheel is ongoing. The project narrative states construction is estimated to be completed by next May, but a recent comment made by Jesse Daily on The Cheel’s Facebook page says the Dailys are now targeting a June 2023 completion date, pending any additional unforeseen setbacks.
The Dailys were not available for comment.