A Belfast restaurant owner’s use of a classic Fiat 500 car to help promote his new Italian-themed venue has fallen foul of the city’s traffic wardens.
The tiny 1972 Italian motor has been parked outside the Ringland Group’s new Howard Street Italian-themed eatery in recent weeks.
Amelia Hall was officially opened to the public by brothers Ben and Peter Ringland last week.
But Peter Ringland has revealed that keeping the car on the pavement has cost them close to £900 in fines already.
Despite the car being parked inside the boundary of the venue’s licensed pavement area, where the business is permitted to set up street furniture, traffic wardens have continued to issue fines.
A total of 19 tickets at £45 a pop have been handed out to date.
“It’s within our licensed pavement area and we’re using it as a prop, a bit of decoration. But they’re still giving it tickets,” said Peter.
“The traffic wardens think it’s great craic, but they have been told by their superiors that they have to do it.
“We appealed it, but we lost.”
The fact the car is taxed, has insurance and has an MOT, mean the authorities consider it a simple black and white issue of an illegally parked motor.
But the young entrepreneur, who also runs The Flint hotel and Town Square in south Belfast, believes the fines are worth paying for the joy and attention the little car is bringing to by-passers.
“We are going to keep it out for the next week or two anyway.
“We have worked out that around one-in-twenty people stop for a photo.
“People love it, it’s just such a beautiful little car and there’s the nostalgia factor. People maybe had one in their youth, or remember their parents driving one.”
Peter acquired the tiny Fiat 500 from London during the summer.
“We did a wee road trip back from London. It has 17 brake horsepower and a max speed of 45mph, so it was a long journey, but it was great fun!
“It encapsulates the retro vibe of the Amelia Hall interior design, and it’s obviously Italian, so we always thought we wanted to get one.”
The car is certainly doing the new hospitality business no harm.
The Ringlands said the popularity of the venue to date mean they are now planning to recruit another 15 members of staff to meet the demand.
It will take the new restaurant’s workforce to 55.
“Business has been overwhelming, it has been really crazy. It has been relentless from around 12 noon each day, through to close.
“We’re busier than we thought we were going to be.”
