Former Valley Post servers, bartenders left jobless after sudden closure

CHELSEA, Ala. (WBRC) - Several servers and bartenders at Valley Post in Chelsea are now out of work and are scrambling to figure out what comes next.

Multiple restaurants affiliated with the Pihakis Restaurant Group have been temporarily closed following reports of financial issues.

Among those affected: Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Hero, Luca, and Little Donkey.

“They Came In, Locked the Doors”

Christian Moorehouse was one of the very first employees hired when Valley Post opened in December.

The former server says he found out he lost his job through a group chat.

“One of our coworkers messaged our Snapchat group chat that we have between the front of house workers, saying that they were coming in locking the doors and told everyone to get out,” Moorehouse said.

Parents Left Without Income

For bartenders Adrian Netterville and Grayson Heffner, the closures hit especially hard.. both are parents.

“This many people’s lives are affected, like I have an 8-year-old child,” said Netterville.

“It was really heartbreaking, because as a mom supporting a child on your own it’s not easy,” Heffner added.

Many People Affected

Moorehouse says he’s exploring landscape work to make ends meet, but he’s thinking about more than just himself.

“I do have a few gigs lined up for that, but that’s a me thing, that doesn’t really help everyone who just lost their jobs,” Moorehouse shared.

He estimates hundreds of workers are in the same situation across the closed locations.

A Nonprofit Steps In

Grace Klein, a Birmingham-area nonprofit, is now working to connect displaced workers with new job opportunities.

Several of the closed restaurants had previously donated to Grace Klein, and now the organization wants to give back.

“We just want to make sure that they don’t feel overwhelmed by the situation that they’re obviously surprised by,” said Liz Harrison with Grace Klein.

Harrison says employees can email their resumes to Grace Klein, and the organization will connect them with businesses that are actively hiring.

People can email info@gracekleincommunity.com.

“We’ve also asked if restaurants are hiring to let us know so that we can make those connections better,” Harrison added.

Helping Hands

“It feels nice knowing that there are people willing to help because so many people just lost their jobs,” Moorehouse said. “It’s been a headache.”

Additional resources can be found in this post:

Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.