An Ohio Senate candidate’s praise caused backlash for a local brewery. Know why

Appreciation by Josh Mandel, a candidate for Ohio’s Senate seat, has resulted in social media backlash for a local brewery. Former treasurer of the state, Mandel, Friday visited ‘Inside the Five’ in Perrysburg, where he posed with an employee who came to work despite not feeling well. She is the kind of employee that makes “our country strong,” he wrote on Twitter. However, people have since criticised the restaurant and the waitress for coming in sick, especially during a pandemic. 

Also read: T-shirt mocking Afghans falling from plane causes outrage

Northern Ohio brewpub ‘Inside the Five’ as per Mandel’s post was short-staffed on Friday. The worker, Brianne, as reported by local media, came in a nasally-sounding voice from a cold. 

On Friday, Mandel posted a picture of ‘Inside the Five’ and a waitress named Brianne. He praised Brianne for coming in sick that day because the brewery was short-staffed.

Also read: Baby evacuated from Afghanistan plays on her mother’s lap. Watch

“@InsideTheFive is a cool brewery started by two NFL vets. Great food and spirited waitresses! Even though Brianne was sick today, she came to work because she knew they were short servers. These are the type of American workers that make our country strong,” he praised the employee. 

Mandel is running for Rob Portman’s Senate seat. He’s visited a number of small businesses and posted pictures from them.

However, the comment section soon was flooded with comments from people criticising Brianne, the brewery and Mandel.

Also read: US to address veterans’ PTSD issues with new PAWS bill

“You’re literally boasting about forcing a sick worker to work. That’s extremely abusive and unsanitary, an act of violence against your workers, your customers, and the larger community,” a Twitter user said. 

Soon, ‘Inside the Five’ released a statement.  “This is so disappointing. Last week we sent a message to our staff saying that they should report any symptoms, big or small, to a manager, and not come to work. And no one should just assume it’s allergies or a cold. Although our server’s intentions were good, it was not the right decision and it will be addressed. Yes, we are short-staffed but would close our doors before we put anyone at risk. The employee has since been sent hosocme.”

Also read: How COVID-19 origin theories are more political debates than scientific

Mandel further criticised the brewery for “giving into the woke mob” and said the restaurant should have “your employee’s back” and give her a raise. ‘Inside the Five’ has deleted its Twitter account.

“Honestly, I had no idea who he was prior to today. Apparently, he took a photo with an employee and posted whatever his political agenda is on his social media,” ‘Inside the Five’ co-owner Chris Morris told local media.

According to CDC, Wood County is in the ‘high’ COVID-19 transmission zone. It has reported 100 new cases in the past seven days per 100,000 people.