August 1, 2019

Restaurants Clarkville and Local 44, which are both owned by the same company, closed earlier this week while the owners “work internally with staff and the community to address what’s going on in a genuine and meaningful way,” according to co-owner Leigh Maida.

Staff members at Clarkville organized a walkout last weekend and protested outside the restaurant, located at 43rd and Baltimore, after one of their co-workers was fired, they believe, unjustly. There were also protests outside of Local 44 claiming bias in the restaurant’s employment practices. Many community members took to social media to express their concern over what has happened.

“We are currently working with staff and others who have reached out to us in the community to address this issue internally for now, which is why we’ve been kind of quiet,” co-owner Leigh Maida wrote in an email. “So many people have learned of this issue through social media, and are demanding a response, but any genuine one is going to take us some time to formulate. We feel it’s really important to make space for an in-person dialogue so staff, management and the community can find a meaningful solution together… We don’t take our position in this neighborhood for granted, and we hope our guests understand that we are dedicated to not just resolving this matter, but coming out of this situation as stronger, better employers, neighbors and community members.”

Both restaurants will be closed this week and most of next week, with plans to reopen by Friday, Aug. 9.

Here’s an announcement on Clarkville’s Instagram page about the closing: