A Miami pizzeria was fined after two customers stayed a couple minutes past the 10 p.m. curfew on August 19, according to the Miami New Times.
Umberto Mascagni, the owner of Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza, said two customers took several minutes to pay their bill after all service operations in the store stopped for the night.
No other customers were on the Brickell store's premise either, he added.
Right when the customers were exiting the store, two Miami police officers entered the restaurant. They fined the restaurant $500 and gave a citation, requiring it to close for 24 hours. The ticket also said the exiting patrons "were consuming wine after curfew."
"These are the same officers that come by every night. They see us following the rules, and the one day we have customers inside a few minutes late, we get penalized," Mascagni said.
The customers were not cited for being out past curfew, the Miami New Times reported. Mascagni said similar Brickell businesses have been unfairly punished, as well.
According to Miami Police Department Assistant Chief Manny Morales, "the $500 fine and 24-hour closure penalty are for a first or second offense."
Mascagni said he thought the offense would result in a warning.
"For us, we have been following rules and safety procedures from day one. This will not only cost us $500 but, more importantly, to be closed in a difficult time like this — this will cause damage to us, but more importantly, to our employees, who will lose hours of work to support their families," the owner said.
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