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

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.

Licensing hearing: