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People stumbling out of the Andrew T stop late at night with a hunger for pizza will have to go home and order from there, board says

Red Line Pizza says it's open until 2:30 a.m.

The Boston Licensing Board yesterday ordered Red Line Pizza, 582 Dorchester Ave. in South Boston, to start complying with its license and close its doors to walk-in customers at 11 p.m.

The pizza place currently has permission to stay open for walk-in trade until 11 p.m., with it allowed to stay open until 2 a.m. for pickup by drivers for home delivery. At a hearing Tuesday, BPD Det. Eddie Hernandez said that on Feb. 23, he and his partner arrived at 12:42 a.m. and observed several people just walking in through the open front door and ordering and then waiting for food.

"It's right across from the T station," he noted, adding that even if Red Line closed its front door, "people would just stroll right in, put an order in and just hang out whether inside or outside."

At the hearing, owner Mohamed Mourad agreed at first said he would remove the seats after 11 p.m to discourage people from trying to eat there, but that he needed to allow regular customers to order and pick up food because otherwise he would lose too much business.

"I'm sorry to hear that but that is not what is permitted in your license," and the doors need to be shut at 11 p.m. to everybody after 11 who is not picking up food for delivery elsewhere, board Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce said. Joyce added she would suggest Mourad both put up signs about the closing times - Mourad said he had done that - and change the wording on his Web site, which now says Red Line is open until 2:30 a.m. - and 2:45 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Mourad asked how to rectify the problem. Board members told him if he wants to serve food to people coming in after 11 p.m., he needs to apply to change his license to allow that - which would include at least one neighborhood meeting on the idea as well as a licensing-board hearing.

At a meeting yesterday, the board voted to issue a violation for the February incident and to ask Mourad for a formal plan showing how he will keep random people from walking in off the street.

Board member Liam Curran said he's especially bothered because Red Line has been cited for the same exact problem before and so Mourad should already have known how to try to fix the problem, by applying for a license change. "None of it rang true to me," he said.

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Comments

Thank goodness for our licensing board, I don't know how our city would survive if we allowed non-delivery pizza past 11PM. Surely walk-ins are more disruptive than if those same people each had a delivery driver waiting for, picking up, and delivering the exact same order /s.

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and then take it home, is this not home delivery? Have I not delivered it home? Would it be okay if it was delivered to my home by anyone who does not live there?

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This reminds me of the last days of yellow cab monopoly. You couldn't legally hail a black cab and hop right in. But you could hail a black cab, call the number on the side, and then hop in.

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I had no idea that there's a category of license that allows pickup by delivery people but not by customers themselves. What's the definition of a delivery person? If you're hungry and standing outside, do you need to hire a PostDashGrub driver to go inside and bring the food out to you? Who comes up with this stuff anyway?

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People who use transit must suffer, DOUBLE PARKED CARS ONLY

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Yet another detour on the road to Boston becoming a World Class City.

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I don't know if you're reading this, but if you are, may I suggest you lock your doors at exactly 11 PM. Hang a sign that says you're open for delivery only. But word it exactly like this:

OPEN
For Delivery Only
Call (617) 464-3003

Thanks,
Red Line Pizza
582 Dorchester Ave.

Hopefully, people will understand the situation and act accordingly.

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I wonder if there's a loophole to be exploited here...

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