Compromise Made on Pasta Evangelists' Licence

Hours of operation extended despite reservations of residents and landlord

27 Ealing Road in Brentford. Picture: Google Streetview

April 14, 2023

An application by Pasta Evangelists for an extension of operating hours for its deliver service on Ealing Road has not been granted the request to open until 2am every day.

Instead the ‘dark kitchen’ will be allowed to dispatch food to customers until midnight on Monday to Friday, an extension of one hour, 1am on Friday and Saturday which is an additional two hours and until 11.30pm on Sunday which is an extra half hour. The premises must be closed a half an hour after last orders. Deliveries of supplies to the premises are not allowed after 10pm.

This compromise was put forward by members of the borough licensing panel on 21 March despite objections from a number of residents, a local councillor and the landlord of the premises who also lives on the floor above.

Cllr Guy Lambert said that the operation appeared to be in the wrong place and was ignoring existing rules.

One objector attended the hearing saying that his main objection was the nuisance caused by delivery drivers parking on the street and pavement outside the Premises. The Licensing Panel and the Applicant were shown a picture of a Range Rover parked outside the premises. When questioned by the he acknowledged that he did not know of any delivery drivers who used a Range Rover to do deliveries and that he had no reason to believe that the Range Rover was connected to the business.

A number of other delivery services including Wicked Burgers, Eqqsquisite and Wraps and Wings are registered at the same address which was formerly the Real Dragon Chinese takeaway. The premise operates by fulfilling orders placed on apps such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats and does not serve walk-ins.

Additional conditions were placed on the licensee including a requirement for CCTV coverage and an obligation to encourage its delivery riders not to congregate in front of the building, leave their engines running when parked or obstruct the highway or the pavement. It must also provide a telephone number for the premises and/or a member of the management team should residents wish to raise any concerns.

There is a double yellow line in front of the premises which should prevent delivery riders stopping there to pick up orders.

The company, which supplies meals based on fresh pasta, has based a so-called dark kitchen at the site of the former This provides meals for delivery through apps like Uber Eats and Deliveroo but does not offer a takeaway service from the premises.

The Licensing Panel concluded, "Having taken all the representations into account, the proposed conditions agreed with the Licensing Enforcement Team, the statutory provisions and the Revised Guidance issued under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 and the Council’s Licensing Policy, the Panel considered that the application, with the conditions agreed between the Applicant and the Licensing Enforcement Team, were sufficient to satisfy the Licensing Panel’s concerns over compliance with the licensing objectives."

Pasta Evangelists is owned by Italian-based food conglomerate Barilla, which acquired the London-based start-up in 2021.