Hopjacks owner speaks about closing

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The owner of Hopjacks told FOX10 News he had little choice but to close down his restaurant in Mobile. After an employee was arrested for embezzlement, he said officials didn’t offer a lot of help.

It started with a trusted employee, Audra Janack, who allegedly embezzled nearly $100,000 leading to back taxes.

Hopjacks owner Joe Abston said those were the cards his business was dealt.

"This was the person who handled all of my bills for all of my stores," said Abston.

Hopjacks in Mobile closed its doors Saturday but just an hour away locations in Florida are still thriving.

"We had a lot of support from the state of Florida. We said we did wrong, and they understood. So they said here is how we’re going to get out of it," said Abston.

In Florida, Abston said he had to negotiate with one department. In Alabama, he said he had to negotiate payments with four.

"I was basically told by a number of different factions that I basically had to pay 60 percent of what I owed before they began to talk about payments," said Abston.

If he didn’t pay up, Abston said he was told he would have his liquor license pulled. That’s bad news for a restaurant that specializes in beer.

"I told them point blank, ‘If you do what you say you are going to do, you are going to cause the fall of 27 jobs and the closing of this business,’" said Abston.

We tried to reach the Alabama Department of Revenue for comment, but our calls were not immediately returned.

FOX10 was able to get some answers from the city.

The downtown restaurant wasn’t only in Councilman William Carroll’s district; it was one of his favorites.

"First time I heard about it was Sunday night, and it was closing. I wish I could have heard earlier, and I would have done all I could to help them stay here," said Carroll.

Carroll tells FOX10 News the city’s legal team handles the negotiations with businesses, but an official inside that office said they didn’t get the information until this week.

In the meantime, Abston couldn’t afford to pay what he owed.

"It was rough. I had employees that just signed leases, employees that just started families. I had employees that had been with me for years," said Abston.

Although Abston loves Mobile and his neighbors on Dauphin Street, he said the doors of Hopjacks aren’t opening back up anytime soon.

Carroll said he has hope that other entrepreneurs won’t shy away from the port city.

"If you are an individual in this city and you want to start a small business, I'm all for you. Small businesses drive our economy. They are the most important," said Carroll.

Abston takes responsibility for the closing, but wishes there could have been more help for him to stay.

Janack is charged with larceny. She has been released from the Escambia County Florida Jail.