Dublin restaurant criticized, mistaken for Kentucky eatery that hosted controversial event

A Dublin restaurant says it's been on the receiving end of negative reviews and "life-threatening" emails ever since a restaurant in Kentucky with a similar name became the site of protests.

The owner of Anna's Greek Cuisine on Sawmill Road said Tuesday on Facebook that her restaurant is being mistaken for Anna's Greek Restaurant in Bowling Green, Kentucky and is in no way related to or affiliated with it.

"The recent erroneous reviews posted by individuals who were offended by the event in Kentucky do not apply to the on-going service and business conducted at Anna's Greek Cuisine located in Ohio," she said.

The upscale restaurant in Bowling Green last month received criticism for hosting an event organized by the Republican Women's Club of South Central Kentucky.

Jonathan Mattingly, a former Louisville police officer involved in the 2020 raid on Breonna Taylor's apartment, was invited by the group to promote his new book, which discusses the botched raid that left Taylor dead and the aftermath of the incident.

At one point on the evening of Jan. 17, a video presentation with audio of gunshots was played. While the private event with about 80 guests took place on the second floor of Anna's Greek Restaurant, a patron told the Courier Journal that audio from the event could be heard throughout the restaurant because organizers used a loudspeaker.

Mattingly and the restaurant's owners later apologized for allowing the video to be played. Mattingly said in a video on Facebook it should have been shown at a "totally secure location."

The dinner was initially scheduled to take place at the Bowling Green Country Club alongside state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, a gubernatorial candidate in the Republican primary, but both parties backed out after news of Mattingly's presence sparked a backlash, the Courier Journal reported.

In his video, Mattingly said the audio of gunshots in the footage that aired that night was not taken during the raid at Taylor's apartment, as no video footage of the incident exists. Instead, he said, the footage used video and audio of subsequent protests, including a shooting that left seven people injured on the first night of the demonstrations and a shooting that injured two officers after Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced just one Louisville Metro Police Department officer, Brett Hankison, would face charges over the raid.

In a separate statement published on its website, Anna's Greek Restaurant in Bowling Green said the accommodation for the group was made on a notice of two hours and owners were "unaware of the content to be presented."

"We now have recognized the need to be exceedingly diligent in reviewing any content to be presented when blending restaurant patrons with private events," the restaurant's statement said. "... It is our deepest desire to meet the needs of all people who visit our restaurant, regardless of race, religion, culture, and opinions."

Protestors last weekend held a demonstration in front of Anna's Greek Restaurant, expressing their anger over the event.

The Courier Journal's Ana Alvarez Briñez contributed to this report.

Monroe Trombly covers breaking and trending news.

mtrombly@dispatch.com

@monroetrombly