Restaurant creates Pothole pizza for council over trams

STAFF at one of the Capital's best-known pizza restaurants say they've had their fill of tram works blighting their Shandwick Place eaterie.

• La Piazza's Walter Giudice shows off the pothole-themed pizza

So the owner of La Piazza, Tony Pia, came up with a new idea to get his own back - the Pothole Pizza.

The 33-year-old says the pizza, which has a large hole missing from the centre, signifies the hole in the pockets of West End that the council and city-run tram delivery firm TIE has left business owners with.

Mr Pia said: "I want the council to know that we have survived the trams shambles despite best efforts to make life as difficult as possible.

"A ruined pizza like this is the perfect reminder of what they have delivered up to businesses across this city - something half-hearted, badly thought out and poorly finished."

Mr Pia is one of many local business owners who say their trade has been badly affected by months of closures.

As reported in the Evening News yesterday, even though the works have since moved on, local firms and protesters are demanding talks with the council, claiming that air pollution has increased since traffic has been diverted through the West End.

Mr Pia added: "The trams have really had an enormous impact on my business - it's like the recession has been extended for two years.

"It's time we showed the council that this is not acceptable and that we're not going down without a fight.

It's important that we have a voice and I think anything - even sending pizza - to get the council's attention and show them we're still here is really important."

Alongside the Pothole Pizza is the Leith Walk Siciliana, made with anchovies and capers. Restaurant manager Walter Giudice said: "After the council made such a stink of this area of town we thought this pizza deserved some more fish ingredients."

And he said of Haymarket Blues, comprised of Mozzarella and Gorgonzola, "Everyone knows how awful Haymarket was to get through so this pizza is a reminder of how low the city feels."

In response, Mandy Haeburn-Little, director of customer services at Edinburgh Trams said: "We're all for businesses coming up with innovative ideas to increase sales, however from the description these sound more like large doughnuts rather than pizzas!

"Since tramworks began we have undertaken to support those businesses adversely affected by tramworks, this has included implementing two support schemes for traders.

"This issue has not been raised with us, but if a trader wishes to discuss their concerns over elements of any work to date our door is always open."