A local restaurant brand that has seen temporary closures the past couple weeks after accusations that workers went unpaid appears to be trying to keep its spot in the heart of Lexington.

The Lexington restaurant’s space at 101 W Main St., which had been up for sale, has been taken off the market.

Alodia’s Cucina Italiana, which has locations in Lexington and Irmo, initially closed its Lexington location the week of June 30 after a since-deleted viral Facebook post alleged that employees at that location hadn’t been paid in two weeks. Restaurant owner Adam Huneau disputed these claims when reached by the Chronicle, producing a letter and handwritten ledger from a former general manager stating she paid employees more than $3,000 out of her own pocket and been reimbursed.

The Lexington location reopened July 12 as the Irmo location closed, with the Irmo staff moved over to Lexington.

“Due to some contractual rules with our lease in Lexington, we need to reopen there as soon as possible. ... Unfortunately that means our Irmo location will be closed temporarily ... while the staff from Irmo crosses the dam to serve our Lexington patrons,” the restaurant posted to Facebook.

Roughly concurrent with the Lexington reopening and Irmo closure, the restaurant space occupied by Alodia's in Lexington was listed as up for sale by Era Real Estate, with an asking price of $1.9 million. 

The listing for the approximately 4,500-square-foot space touted it as a chance to “own a highly profitable, turnkey restaurant business with an established brand, a prime location and a loyal customer base.”

As of July 16, the space was no longer for sale.

“Alodia’s has been taken off the market in Lexington,” Era Wilder Principal David Brock told the Chronicle, explaining that the owners decided not to sell as they have “reopened and the support is amazing.”

The Chronicle reached out to Huneau for comment, but he didn’t immediately reply.

As of July 17, Alodia’s had made no announcements about when the Irmo location at 2736 North Lake Dr. will reopen.

The business remains under investigation by the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation after its recent dispute over employee pay, though it did renew its business license, which had expired April 30,  with the Town of Lexington July 7, paying all applicable penalties, according to town Communications Manager Laurin Barnes.

This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.