Clarkville

Staff Walkouts Prompt Temporary Shutdown at Two West Philly Restaurants [Updated] | Eater Philly

"I learned that Clarkville, a pizzeria at 43rd and Baltimore that shares owners with Local 44, closed around the same time after staff walkouts and protests sparked by the July 16 firing of one of its employees; it had been shuttered for roughly a week and was slated to reopen August 9. The restaurants' Instagram posts denied the termination was racially motivated and said owners and management would undergo mandatory unconscious racial-bias training, but many commenters have accused the establishments of a longer pattern of racism and homophobia. Co-owner Leigh Maida told me the firing was for cause, described the protesters as a "small group of ex-employees," and said the owners pursued a court injunction on August 6 to keep protesters at least 20 feet away and to prevent them from naming staff and owners." - Rachel Vigoda