Khoa Hoang, a Charlotte chef and restaurant owner, will be able to close the doors of his restaurant for one day a week thanks to a $1 million Ultimate Millions win.

Hoang was pumping gas for his girlfriend at the Royal Stop Citgo on Eastway Drive in Charlotte when he decided to try his luck with three lottery tickets. After the first ticket failed to deliver a win, Hoang scratched off $40 on the second. But that would prove to be only an appetizer. The third ticket served up the main course: a $1 million Ultimate Millions prize.

“I froze for a few seconds,” Hoang said. “I had to double check.”

Hoang was “relieved” as he claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He had the choice of taking a $1 million annuity that has 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000. He chose the lump sum and after required state and federal tax withholdings received $415,509.

Hoang said he’s been working seven days a week since he opened his own Vietnamese restaurant last year. He said his good luck will give him the financial security he needs to close his restaurant one day a week and have a day off. He said he’ll also use his winnings to help pay off bills, improve his business and put a down payment on a new house.

Ultimate Millions launched in September with four top prizes of $10 million and 18 prizes of $1 million. Two of the $10 million prizes and eight of the $1 million prizes remain.

Ticket sales from games like Ultimate Millions made it possible for the lottery to raise more than half a billion dollars for the state last year. For details on how more than $352.5 million in lottery funds has made a difference in Mecklenburg County, click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.