A Facebook brouhaha linked to a misunderstanding by a Greenwood City Council member possibly has jeopardized three business opportunities for bringing new franchise restaurants to the city, a Greenwood Realtor claims.
Charles Montgomery Jr. of Montgomery Southern Realty & Development LLC has called on Johnny Jennings, Ward 1 councilman, not only to apologize but to step down from the council because of a pair of Facebook posts Jennings made Sunday.
Jennings said Wednesday he removed the first post on Sunday afternoon after reading offensive comments made by other people. He took down the second after he learned Monday that he made an incorrect assumption that Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen’s opening in Greenwood might be related to difficulties finding labor.
“I truly apologize, but I am not resigning,” Jennings said while telling what happened.
On Sunday morning, he had coffee with friends at McDonald’s and while there, someone from Popeyes came in. Jennings spoke with him in a friendly way and asked when the franchise restaurant would open. Jennings said he was told some equipment had not arrived and also the restaurant needed to hire staff. Knowing that some employers are having difficulty with hiring, Jennings decided to see if he could assist. He said he told the man, “Maybe I can put it out there and get some people to call you.”
The councilman said he wrote the post, attended a worship service and went out to lunch. That’s when a friend said, “Man, have you seen the comments on that thing you did?” Jennings explained.
“That’s when the lid came off. There were 249 comments trashing wages” at fast-food restaurants,
Jennings said. He described many of the comments as “slaughtering the fast-food industry.” The ugliness surprised him.
“I never knew there was so much animosity about wages in the fast-food industry,” he said.
He then spoke with Mayor Carolyn McAdams, who had heard about the post while she was at church. Jennings said he removed it as soon as he could get to a computer. He then added a second post, which he said was intended to stop the social media outburst, by incorrectly announcing “all positions filled” at the restaurant.
Jennings said Wednesday that he had heard from 45 to 50 job seekers who had texted him about applying for the jobs at Popeyes, and he was pleased to have heard from them. “What I should have said (in the second post) is that I have many responders to forward to them (Popeyes),” he said.
On Monday, McAdams contacted Skip Russell of Magee, the owner of 11 Popeyes in Mississippi, including the restaurant in Greenwood, and learned that supply chain problems were holding up the Greenwood restaurant’s opening, that a pool of likely managerial candidates had been formed and that Popeyes was not yet seeking other employees. Russell confirmed her information Wednesday.
McAdams said Facebook irritates her because so much information on it is incorrect. People should “get the facts” first, she said.
Meanwhile, a restaurant client of Montgomery’s responded to Jennings’ first post and the negative comments it sparked by telling Montgomery he would choose a city other than Greenwood for his venture — at least for now, the Realtor said.
Montgomery wrote a letter saying Jennings should apologize and resign. “I have a Greenwood client that recently landed a new franchise agreement,” Montgomery said in the letter. “My client was granted two locations. Monday morning, he chose to pursue another town.” The client told him this was because of the Facebook posts, Montgomery said during an interview.
“I am not saying that I can’t convince him to proceed with his original plans and start in Greenwood. I am saying that three new businesses and numerous job opportunities could have been affected by these irresponsible posts,” Montgomery said in the letter.
The other two ventures also involve restaurants. Montgomery wrote that he has “a site under contract for a new restaurant in an underserved area. We are in the due diligence period. That means the buyer can cancel and walk away at any time. What if someone in that company saw a post about ‘labor issues’ in Greenwood. What do you think their reaction would be?”
He continued, “I am actively looking for another site for an established franchisee with another brand. I am sure they saw the post and the comments that followed.”
Montgomery said he received his real estate license in 2007. “Since then, I have represented a major developer on site selections for national retailers in over 400 projects,” he said. These were in Mississippi and several nearby states, he said.
“I believe that Johnny Jennings is a good man. I believe he really does want the best for the city of Greenwood. But I also believe that he is completely out of touch with what it takes to grow a business and jobs and what his role should be,” Montgomery wrote.
Jennings objected to Montgomery’s assessment. Besides having a photography business, he owns rental property and has a long history of selling retail products.
“I would appreciate it sometime if Montgomery is bringing business to my ward or any ward in Greenwood, that he would contact me. I would like to help.”
About Montgomery’s response to the Facebook posts, Jennings said, “I kind of wish he had called me. I am very accessible.”
- Contact Susan Montgom-ery at 581-7241 or smontgom-ery@gwcommonwealth.com.
