Lexington Italian restaurant hit with fine for not paying staff on time
A Lexington restaurant that came under fire over employee pay during the summer has been fined by the state’s labor agency.
The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation has issued a $2,100 citation to Alodia’s Cucina Itlaliana at 101 West Main St. in Lexington. The fine was detailed in an Oct. 2 letter issued by the labor agency, copies of which were obtained by The State.
The labor department paperwork indicated that employees were “not paid on the established payday or money was improperly withheld under state law.” The citation letter also indicates that 18 employees were not paid by the regular payday in June.
Alodia’s owner Adam Huneau said in a Tuesday afternoon email to The State that the fine has been paid. He said he has filed a public information request for documents in the case and that he would review them when they are received.
The labor agency penalizing Alodia’s was first reported by Columbia’s Free Times.
The popular Alodia’s restaurant on Main Street in Lexington, located at the corner of Church and Main streets, was temporarily closed by employees in June after former employees claimed they had not been paid in weeks. The Lexington restaurant reopened a couple weeks later after owners brought in employees from the Irmo Alodia’s location to run the Lexington restaurant. The Irmo location was subsequently temporarily closed but was set to reopen Oct. 17, according to posts on the restaurant’s social media channels.
The pay issue was initially ripped open on social media in June by employees who said they had not been paid on time. At least one employee later told The State she was eventually paid what she was owed with a mix of cash and a check.
The state labor department opened its investigation in July.
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 3:25 PM.
