After employees went unpaid, Lexington restaurant pulls staff from another location to reopen
Alodia’s Italian restaurant in Lexington reopened on Wednesday, according to a social media post from the restaurant, two weeks after the restaurant’s staff walked out after they say they weren’t paid.
The popular restaurant on West Main Street was temporarily closed by employees on June 28 after former employees claimed they had not been paid for weeks. The incident has since incited an investigation into the restaurant by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
In addition, Alodia’s Lexington location is currently listed for sale on Era Real Estate’s site for $1.9 million. It’s advertised on the site as a “rare opportunity to own a highly profitable, turnkey restaurant business with an established brand, a prime location and a loyal customer base.”
On Alodia’s Facebook page, the restaurant said it would open the doors of its Lexington location Wednesday night due to “contractual rules” with its lease that required the restaurant to reopen. To staff the Lexington restaurant, Alodia’s second restaurant in Irmo closed its doors temporarily starting July 10 to allow employees from that location to work at the Lexington location instead.
“We’ll be back in full force soon,” the Facebook post said. “Again, we appreciate you all!”
Lauren Brunson, a former manager at Alodia’s in Lexington, said the Irmo store is a “different animal” and she is unsure how they plan to staff the restaurant. To her knowledge, she said, no previous employees at the Lexington restaurant plan to return.
“Irmo has maybe a count of 12 tables. It’s a small, small area. It’s a small store. Lexington is not,” Brunson said. “Lexington has, I mean, triple the amount of tables, so you need that much staff at least.”
Zoe Spires, a former employee whose now-deleted Facebook post on the lack of employee pay received hundreds of comments, said in a separate Facebook comment on July 3 that she and other employees at the restaurant have now been paid by Alodia’s owner Adam Huneau.
Spires previously told The State that workers’ checks were bouncing and some were being paid with cash from the restaurant or from the general manager’s personal funds before the restaurant eventually closed.
In a comment to Spires’ original post, Huneau said the pay problem was due to a “cash flow issue.”
The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation confirmed it is currently investigating Alodia’s possible failure to pay employees the amount owed on the agreed upon date. The investigation was first reported by the Post and Courier.
South Carolina law states every employer in the state must pay all wages due at the agreed upon payday.
South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation spokesperson Lesia Kudelka said that the department’s payment and wages office received three complaints referencing tips and minimum wage, which fall under the U.S. Department of Labor rather than the state’s department.
In a Facebook message to The State, Huneau sent a letter from his general manager that he said noted payments made to employees, including Spires, with cash from the restaurant or from the general manager’s personal funds on June 27, prior to Spires’ initial Facebook post.
Brunson said she never received payment prior to the closing of the restaurant and was only paid when she and other employees were later asked to return to the restaurant to pick up their wages. Brunson said she was paid with a mix of cash and a check.
According to Brunson, employees were asked to sign a paper while at the restaurant confirming that they had “been compensated in cash for pending checks that have either been returned, put on hold, or remain uncredited.”
In a text shared with The State, employees were warned that their check still may be put on hold and that they should avoid an additional fee by cashing their check at a specific bank in Irmo.
Brunson was given her pay by a prep manager and said she has still not been in contact with Huneau.
“I was one of his managers. He has my information. He has my email,” Brunson said. “I was the one sending him nightly reports every night for finances, so I’m just kind of flabbergasted.”
On Facebook, Spires wrote that she took down her initial post to protect Huneau’s family and spoke with the owner on the phone and received an apology from him.
“Everything has been worked out. Alodias was a great place to work,” Spires wrote in a comment on July 3. “If Alodias does stay open then that’s awesome because the food is delicious and the employees are awesome…i’m just not longer a fan of the OWNER after all of this.”
In an interview with The Lexington Chronicle, Huneau said he was struggling with vertigo caused by acute labyrinthitis during the troubles at the Lexington restaurant and said that these issues impacted his handling of the situation.
In a now-deleted statement from Adam and Besty Huneau posted to Alodia’s Facebook page on July 3, the owners said they wished Spires the best.
“It’s funny how God works. I’m not sure exactly what His plan is yet, but I know His hand is moving. I had a chance today to speak to Zoe Spires. I have forgiven Zoe and I ask for her forgiveness,” the statement said. “There is enough hate and ugliness in this world and I will not be participating in any of it.”
In an informational document for individuals who have had a complaint filed against them, the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said investigations are generally complete within 180 business days.
Alodia’s serves Italian food, featuring a variety of homemade pasta dishes for dinner. The restaurant’s Lexington location is located at 101 West Main Street.
This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 11:54 AM.
