While it opened to a full house and hour waits, after less than two months the Peach Cobbler Factoryâs sister restaurant Pepper + Peach has closed.
The restaurant said, via social media, the business closed “due to declining sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic;” however, according to a story in the Daily News Journal and comments that have been made on various Facebook pages, the food had changed and service at the location was scattered. Several people said that the cobbler that has many fans was no longer made from scratch.
Employees have also held protests regarding lost wages, some employees missing as many as three weeks of pay, reports Daily News Journal.
The company published an Instagram post addressing the incident regarding unpaid wages and announcing that CEO and President of the company Juan Edgerton was resigning his position.
The post reads:
Our heart goes out to our employees who were completely blindsided by this abrupt announcement. Our leadership team, including myself, missed an opportunity to have a better dialogue in the hours leading up to this decision. Many employees were not aware they would be paid late after this decision, most assumed they would not get paid at all. That is not the case. We have reached out to our staff to communicate when checks will be issued in the coming days to make sure they are paid in full.
The truth is our communication with them was unprofessional & unbecoming of the business standards we have been committed to in years past.
I apologize. I personally know how it feels to face uncertainty & job insecurity during the holidays. Itâs awful. I take FULL RESPONSIBILITY. It breaks my heart to put anyone in that situation because of my lack of leadership and accountability. I wonât rest until every employee is paid no matter how long it takes. Every dollar made from our Peach Cobbler Factory locations will go directly to making our employees whole as soon as possible.
As of today, Iâm resigning my position as Chief Executive Officer and President of our company that I helped build alongside my supportive family. I will no longer have a day to day role in the business I founded. I will miss it, but the company needs new leadership at this time. Itâs time to get back to basics. My drive & passion caused us to depart from our core values. I deeply regret that.
A representative at the flagship store in Nashville said that ties between Pepper + Peach management and the management of the Peach Cobbler Factory have been severed, although the Smyrna Peach Cobbler Factory is open again after being closed for several days.
According to co-owner Juan Edgerton, Pepper + Peach was originally meant to be another food truck concept, but when they found the space in Murfreesboro, they decided to open a brick and mortar store as their food truck business was slowed to a halt in Nashville due to the pandemic.
Closing Pepper + Peach has driven the owners back to basics. According to their Nashville representative, the Smyrna store will stay open, as will the two Nashville stores. They are also sending the food trucks back out.
Locally, you can find The Peach Cobbler Factory in Smyrna in 242 South Lowry Street. In Nashville, you can find the eatery at 1100 Fatherland St and 5814 Nolensville Pk. Follow on Facebook for updates.
