A Dundalk pizza shop is ‘the most extraordinary restaurant’ a judge has heard of because they serve food in cardboard boxes and deny being a takeaway.Judge Flann Brennan made the remark about Mizzoni Pizzas, Park Street, during a Dundalk Town Council prosecution of the outlet for allowing takeaways from their premises in breach of their planning permission.
Mizzoni Pizza franchise owner Ral Mizzoni was at Dundalk District Court to answer a charge of breaching his planning permission.
A Dundalk Town Council planning inspector Fergus Smyth said permission was granted for a restaurant at the premises, but he believed Mizzoni’s were operating a takeaway where people could come and get their food to go.
He said there was a sign advertising free deliveries as well as a pile of cardboard pizza boxes stacked in the front of the shop. He inspected the premises on June 12th and issued an enforcement order which asked the company to stop doing takeaways.
The order wasn’t complied with and Dundalk Town Council started to bring the matter to court.
Barrister James Richardson for Mizzonis, said that while the restaurant wasn’t what some might call conventional, it was nonetheless a restaurant and not a takeaway.
He said the Mizzoni business model was one where pizzas were served in boxes and not plates which saved washing up and kitchen space.
Mr Richardson said the restaurant also served pasta and desserts and provided seating for customers downstairs. There was even a sign in the window now that said that food purchased on the premises must be consumed there and bar hiring someone to stop people taking food away, there was little that could be done.
Judge Brennan said it was the most extraordinary restaurant he had ever heard of because ‘the only thing you can’t get is a meal on a plate’.
He said even the owner had to concede there was a takeaway element to the business which was a breach of planning permission and he found in favour of the council.
Judge Brennan fined Mizzoni’s € 1000 and ordered them to pay costs of € 493 and expenses of € 370.
Tags: mizzoni dundalk
admin March 29th, 2009 3 Comments »