After opening just a year ago, Martha Ann's–what some call a community staple–has shut its doors for good. But, former employees say this came as a shock and haven't been paid in weeks. The say the restaurant’s owner, Joseph Keel, has suddenly gone quiet.
"We want our money. We worked for that, and to not get paid–that's three weeks worth of pay,” Tara Potter, a former employee says. “People have families. We have homes. We have car payments and kids going into college, and it’s school time. One of our coworkers has four kids and is a single mom. I mean, what is she supposed to do?”
Katelyn Tellez and Potter were employees at Marthie Ann's Tennessee Blue Pate in Cambridge Square in Ooltewah until its closing on September 2nd. They told me just two days prior, Keel had sent employees a te