With the state now investigating a local Italian restaurant after a recent labor dispute, the business has reopened its Lexington location and temporarily closed its other one in Irmo.

Alodia’s Cucina Italiana was open again at the downtown corner of West Main Street and Church Street July 12. According to the restaurant’s Facebook page, staff from the Irmo location are now working in Lexington, where the entire staff walked away the week of June 30 amid accusations that some were left unpaid.

The Lexington location had been closed since losing its staff.

A now deleted Facebook post by former Lexington employee Zoe Spires went viral after she said the “restaurant was in deep trouble” and requested customers to “please pay with cash” should they come in the last week of June. Spires alleged that she and other employees hadn’t been paid in two weeks as of June 27.

Spires deleted her post days after she initially posted it “for the sake of his family,” she later posted on Facebook, referring to Alodia’s owner Adam Huneau.

Huneau disputed the allegations made by Spires and other former employees, sharing a letter from former general manager Jessica Amick, who confirmed to the Chronicle that she wrote it.  The letter states that Spires and other former employees received payment on or before June 27.

With the letter, Amick included a handwritten receipt detailing payments she made to seven employees, including Spires, totaling more than $3,000. The ledger notes that she was reimbursed.

The Lexington location reopens while the business is under investigation by the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, with Communications Director Lesia Kudelka confirming that an investigation is ongoing. The Post and Courier Columbia was the first to report about the investigation.

Kudelka previously told the Chronicle in an email that the department’s wages office had received three complaints about Alodia’s.

The Lexington restaurant was also running with an expired business license as of April 30, but Town of Lexington Communications Director Laurin Barnes said the restaurant renewed its business license and paid all the applicable penalties July 7.

In the July 10 Facebook post announcing the reopening, Alodia’s states, “Due to some contractual rules with our lease in Lexington, we need to reopen there as soon as possible. As of this afternoon, our plan is to be open Wednesday night in Lexington.

“Unfortunately that means our Irmo location will be closed temporarily (starting tonight) while the staff from Irmo crosses the dam to serve our Lexington patrons.”

The building that houses Alodia’s at 101 W Main St. stands adjacent to the town-owned Icehouse Amphitheater, with the town having played an active role in developing the Alodia’s building and the recently erected building next door where the first South Carolina location of Barrio Tacos + Tequila + Whiskey is set to open in the near future. Barnes told the Chronicle she didn’t know offhand who leases out the Alodia’s building and what their agreement is with the restaurant.

As initially noted by The State newspaper,  the restaurant space Alodia's occupies is listed as up for sale by Era Real Estate, with an asking price of $1.9 million.

"This is a rare opportunity to own a highly profitable, turnkey restaurant business with an established brand, a prime location and a loyal customer base," the Era website says of the roughly 4,500-square-foot space. "With all the essential elements in place, this turnkey restaurant is ready for immediate takeover with top-of-the-line equipment to save time and resources. Strategically positioned in a highly desirable location, this prime location ensures continued visibility and accessibility, providing a strong foundation for long-term success. With the loyal and expansive customer base you can hit the ground running. "

The Chronicle reached out to Huneau for further comment but he has yet to respond.

“We'll be back in full force soon!” Alodia’s posted July 10. “Again, we appreciate you all!”

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