By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer

Customers heading to lunch at Applebee’s Grill and Bar at 105 N. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg on Saturday, April 26 were met with a closed restaurant that had been vandalized with messages and symbols of Jew hatred on two sides of the building.

A sign on the front door, just above a swastika painted in red, carried the message. “Due to vandalism, we will remain closed until further notice.”

A photo of that image and five others, posted by April Dunn at the Facebook group, West Carrollton Talk, went viral that afternoon.

The vandalism seen in the other images — all spray painted in red — included the messages “F— Jews” on a window, “Jews work here” on brick, “F— this place” across two windows, and a swastika across another window.

“I took these photos this morning after I noticed vandalism on the side of the building,” Dunn posted at her Facebook page, along with the photos. “This is absolutely disgusting. There is no reason for this type of hate and vitriol. An absolutely disgusting display supporting hate and Nazi ideology.”

The Dayton Daily News reported Saturday afternoon, April 26 that according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch, Miamisburg police responded to reports of the restaurant being tagged at about 7:52 a.m.

Ken Jarosik, Miamisburg’s communications manager, told the Dayton Daily News that the morning shift manager had arrived at the Applebee’s and “noticed unknown individuals painted swastikas and hate messages toward Jews on multiple areas of the building.” Jarosik added that a police investigation is underway and that no suspects have been identified yet.

Rodney Conant of RMH, the franchisee that owns the Miamisburg Applebee’s, told WDTN-TV April 26, “We have no tolerance for discrimination of any kind at Applebee’s and are deeply saddened by the vandalism that occurred at our Miamisburg restaurant. We are cooperating with local authorities in their investigation and hope to reopen tomorrow (Sunday), where guest and team member safety will remain our top priority.”

John Peyton, CEO of Dine Brands and interim president of Applebee’s, said he condemns and is disgusted by the vandalism at the Miamisburg Applebee’s, in a statement to The Observer, April 27. “And there is no place for antisemitic – or any form of – hate speech in our neighborhoods.”

According to a Miamisburg Police Department report obtained by the Dayton Daily News, police were not able to identify the perpetrators from the cameras posted in the area.

“We’ve seen the statistics, an 893-percent increase in antisemitic incidents in the United States over the past decade according to the ADL,” Cathy Gardner, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, said. “To see it here, the day before our Yom Hashoah remembrance, is devastating. It exhibits the Jew hatred that we know exists, and that was at the root of the horrors of the Holocaust.”

A community member confirmed to The Observer that the vandalism was power washed from the building’s facade by mid-afternoon, Saturday, April 26. The Applebee’s, near the Dayton Mall, was open for business at 11 a.m., Sunday, April 27.