The manager of Chicago-based restaurant Cheesie’s Pub & Grub said the business’ tweet advertising a Ray Rice “knockout deal” should not reflect badly on its Evanston location.

The Evanston branch, which opened in the fall 2012 at 622 Davis St., is relatively new and is still working to build a solid reputation, manager Chance Lydick said.

Customers should remember their positive experiences, he said, without holding the Evanston business in a bad light because of one tweet written by an angry former employee who still had access to the company’s Twitter account.

“We’ve done a lot in Evanston with charities and giving back to the community,” he said. “Hopefully people look at that as opposed to somebody writing a tweet they shouldn’t have written and isn’t even associated with Cheesie’s.”

Cheesie’s announced a “knockout deal” called “the Ray Rice” in a tweet posted Tuesday from its official Twitter account.

The tweet, which has since been deleted, read, “TINDER TUESDAY = 20% off tabs! It’s a knockout deal…. We’re calling it the Ray Rice ;).”

Following the tweet, Cheesie’s Twitter account sent out a series of messages apologizing for the reference, explaining the tweet was posted by “a disgruntled ex employee who had Twitter access.”

We would like to apologize for the previous tweet, referencing Ray Rice. This tweet was posted by a disgruntled ex employee who had

— Cheesie's Pub & Grub (@CheesiesChicago) September 9, 2014

Twitter access. In no way, shape or form do we condone his behavior. We also apologize to anyone who was directly offended by this tweet.

— Cheesie's Pub & Grub (@CheesiesChicago) September 9, 2014

Lydick said he removed the tweet as soon as he saw it and has since fired the employee in charge of Cheesie’s social media accounts.

“The main point we’re trying to get across is that what was said does not and should not directly reflect on the Cheesie’s family,” he said. “No one actively that works there put that on Twitter. We don’t want that to be associated with us.”

The reference to Ray Rice comes two days after TMZ released a video showing the former NFL player hitting his then-fiance in an elevator, causing her to fall to the floor unconscious. Following the video’s release, the Baltimore Ravens cut Rice from the team and the NFL suspended him indefinitely.

In response to the incident, Lydick met with members of various domestic violence organizations Wednesday to organize a fundraiser at both Cheesie’s locations. The benefit, scheduled for Sept. 27, will donate a percentage of profits made to domestic violence support groups.

“We still feel the need to give people some peace of mind that they understand that we are not taking this lightly,” he said. “We are looking to give back in a way that will benefit not only the community, but also benefit those affected by domestic violence.”

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