Restaurant involved in Ohio Issue 1 disagreement will be open this weekend

Video from Thursday’s coverage.

MILFORD, Ohio (WXIX) - After a disagreement between staff and the owner of Copper Blue, the Milford restaurant announced late Thursday that it will be open Friday and Saturday.

According to FOX19 NOW’s previous coverage, staff members at Copper Blue Restaurant quit after the owner, Brian Arlinghaus, put up a sign outside of the business that encourage residents to vote against Ohio Issue 1, a ballot initiative that would legalize abortion in Ohio.

Many employees, including long-time ones, were “distraught” with the way things ended, stating politics should not have been a factor in the workplace at all.

“The previous owners taught me two things when I started in the customer service industry,” Will Prescott told FOX19 NOW’s Simone Jameson Thursday. “That was no religion and no politics, and you’ll get through the day just fine. I’m disappointed because we tried to have a conversation with the owner Brian about it. We tried to talk to him about how we felt about it. He didn’t hear from us. He didn’t want to say anything to us.”

After the workers quit, Arlinghaus had no other option than to shut down for a few days.

Now, the business says they will be open Friday and Saturday noon to 8 p.m.

While the business says it will manage throughout the weekend, it is unknown if the issue has been permanently resolved or if will struggle in the days to come.

FOX19 NOW reached out to Copper Blue, but have not heard back yet.

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