Alvin Ord’s, a local sandwich chain widely regarded as a San Marcos staple since opening in 1978, remains closed after employees walked out and resigned, alleging years of verbal abuse and threats by the minority owner.

Employees announced the walkout in an April 10 Instagram post after an April 6 meeting with majority owner Bill Martin. During the meeting, employees presented a list of demands they said needed to be met for them to continue working. The demands followed an incident involving Steve Martin, Bill Martin’s brother and a 5% owner of the business, and a longtime Alvin Ord’s employee.

According to Isabelle Durr, a former shift lead at Alvin Ord’s who participated in the walkout, the incident began during a lunch rush when Steve Martin confronted the general manager about boxes that had not been broken down. The Star granted the general manager anonymity because they said they feared retaliation.

“It was the 1:30 lunch rush and Steve was flipping out, we were all stressed, and [the general manager] said, ‘Steve, you’re really upset about two boxes,’” Durr said. “Steve leaned forward and said ‘[expletive] you’ with his fist balled up, and [the general manager] said that all Steve does is berate the employees, make everyone walk on eggshells, and that he quits.”

After the incident, employees drafter a non-legally binding letter of agreement during the April 6 meeting that was signed by all employees and Bill Martin. The agreement demanded that Steve Martin not be allowed on Alvin Ord’s property during operating hours or while employees were present. It also stated that employees would be protected from discrimination, ridicule and retaliation.

Employees said they organized the walkout after Bill Martin did not follow the letter of agreement and permitted Steve Martin on the premises.

“I have 14 disgruntled employees who didn’t like what a minority owner told them to do, then blackmailed me into signing an agreement. They created an unsafe work environment by not breaking down the boxes on the ground,” Bill Martin said.

In an audio file obtained by The Star, employees stated this was not the first instance of physical violence and aggression by Steve Martin, mentioning a 2015 incident where Martin allegedly assaulted a deaf man who was dining in the restaurant, resulting in the two of them going through the glass door of the store.

Amy Archer, the wife of the deaf man involved in the alleged incident who was present during the altercation, said she and her husband had been longtime Alvin Ord’s customers and were surprised to hear Steve Martin remained involved with the restaurant afterward.

“My husband was standing outside smoking, and we were using sign language through the window. Out of nowhere, Steve went behind him and started talking to him aggressively,” Archer said.

According to Archer, her husband indicated to Steve Martin that he was deaf, and that as her husband walked back to the front door, Martin grabbed him on the right shoulder and pulled him back, resulting in the two of them going to the ground and through the front glass door. Archer claims no police charges were filed from this incident.

Tara Opiela, a former employee who worked the night shift at Alvin Ord’s for approximately a year, said the treatment of employees by Steve Martin had been consistently negative. Opiela also alleged poor food safety standards, such as mold, improper food storage and faulty equipment.

“This low quality of food service could kill someone, it was mind-blowing. I’ve never worked at any place that had lower standards than Alvin Ord’s, to the extent where I felt like it was actively a risk to customers and employees,” Opiela said. “The mold was so extensive I would personally describe it as a health hazard.”

According to Alvin Ord’s Facebook page, the store is under new leadership and undergoing renovations, claiming they are performing a total deep-clean and modernization of facilities, standards, and culture. The business has not announced a reopening date.

“Their plan of new management is putting up a front, but we’ll see. The Martins weren’t able to run the business, and it just continued on the inertia of what people imagined it was from the 90s and 2000s,” Opiela said

Steve Martin refused to comment when contacted by The Star.

This is a developing story. The University Star will provide updates as they become available.