Central Ohio restaurant closes; Former employee allegedly “hacked” Instagram, rewrites message to customers
After opening its doors last October, Hashi, the Granville restaurant for sushi and traditional Korean fare, has closed for good, owner Steven Baldwin said.
According to Baldwin, the eatery recently made the decision to close its doors at 128 E. Broadway earlier this month. Hashi Up, which was located on the second floor of the building and served as a bar and small plates spot, has also closed.
“It’s no surprise that this past year has been difficult for us operating a small business within this community,” Baldwin said in a statement shared with 614Now. “We took a huge risk opening a business during the pandemic and one we felt was a positive cultural contribution to Granville. Unfortunately our business didn’t work out and sadly we had no other option but to close our doors this week.”
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Baldwin said that after the eatery had made the decision to close, a former employee allegedly gained access to Hashi Up’s Instagram account, locked out Baldwin, and rewrote their closing message to customers.
The post, which can be read here, is critical of ownership and alleges that employees were notified via text message of the restaurant’s closure.
The entire post reads:
“Cheers! It’s been a fun ride. To all of those who have supported us over the past year, we say THANK YOU! However time time has come to close a chapter on Hashi Up and Hashi. Our small family business has decided to focus on the “family” part and put our time/attention on those who matter the most to us obviously not being our employees. We could not find the courage or decency to tell them in person, instead sent them a text message letting them know without notice that they would be with out a job weeks before Christmas. Not caring about our employees life’s or family’s but focusing on my own instead. Again, we want to say a heartfelt thank you for the love and support✌🏻&🖤 -Hashi Up”
The post was still up on Hashi Up’s Instagram account at the time this story was published. You can see it here.
Baldwin issued a statement on the post that he shared with 614Now this morning. It reads as follows:
“Last night, we had learned that a former employee had sadly hacked into our Instagram account, locked us out and rewrote our closing post in a way that is harmful, hurtful and incited hate towards our family. Anytime a business has to close its doors it is always the last resort and is a decision that isn’t taken lightly. We have done everything we could possibly do to keep staff on board and keep our doors open this past year. There was no easy way to let people know that we had to make the difficult decision to close. We want nothing but the best for our staff and our community. We know some are disappointed in our decisions to close but we hope that you understand it wasn’t one we took lightly. We love our community and the friends that we have made through our experience with Hashi. We hope that you’ll continue to support small businesses in our town. Show some kindness, compassion, and patience to the folks who continue to show up and make our town a better place to live for all.”
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