Misc Info FYI:
This is one of at least a dozen+ blogs that I have about Kennesaw and all of them are pretty much out of service as I have been gone from K for just over 3 yrs, after 15 years living there.
So with the passage of time I have posted less and less. The site 'may' now and then have another post but it is pretty much off my radar scope these days. So take a look, you might find something of interest, I see that several folks come back repeatedly and are probably disappointed to find nothing new here. Thanks for looking in -
Bill Harris, Canton, Ga.
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4/1/17
In the same building, now revamped is Pisano's Pizza Restaurant, the same owner also has the Kennesaw Doghouse which is located in the space that TJ Bryan's which before that was a Cheesecake themed restaurant.
The more recent owners of Pisano's have had some problems with the Building and Zoning Administrator Daryl Simmons. Various things involving both locations and more recently a flag issue which resulted in some American Flags (& 1 Italiam one) having to be removed from the Pisano's roof.
There were initially 5-6 US Flags, most had been removed prior to this photo.
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Before we get to the old MKK photos here is a post from The Kennesaw Watch Facebook site:
OPENING A BUSINESS? AVOID KENNESAW GEORGIA!
Want to open a Business? Don’t do it in Kennesaw.
Want to fly the American flag? Don’t do it in Kennesaw
Kennesaw’s hostile attitude towards a local businessman with 2 downtown restaurants has recently come in for some attention.
The owners of Pisano’s Italian Restaurant and the smaller Kennesaw Doghouse have faced intimidation and threats from the Business and Zoning Administrator Daryl Simmons.
The animus seems to go back several years with conflicts and fines for various supposed infractions, for things in existence for years before the current owners took over.
The harassment continues with the Building and Zoning administrator’s usage of the Police and Code Enforcement to bully the restaurant owners over the display of American flags on both establishments.
It is reported that initially both Police Officers and Code Enforcement refused to write citations for the flag issue but it seems that somewhere higher up the food chain the word was put out to issue them.
Pisano’s had displayed 7 US and one Italian flag on their pizza restaurant but Administrator Simmons instructed the Police to cite the restaurant for each flag ($1,250 each violation).
This despite many other Kennesaw businesses displaying flags include the Thrift Store in the same strip mall as the Italian restaurant. The smaller Doghouse restaurant had displayed 2 flags as far back as May 23, 2015 under the name On A Roll, with the same owners as today.
Indications are that there is some unsavory history here of the Administrator ‘having it in’ for the owners, this going back years, with the latest cheap shot being the flag issue.
The restaurant owners have for the moment taken down the flags at the 2 restaurants and are meeting with an attorney to assist in getting the flags returned to the restaurants.
Long time Kennesaw residents may recall other issues that have been mishandled by the same Building and Zoning administrator, issues that cost the City bad press and money in settlements.
Consider the Cruchelow Pawn Shop* issue where the Administrator issued a business license for a Pawn Shop in a strip mall that had prohibitions against that class of business.
This got regional bad press for months and the mall owner got a $14,000 monetary settlement.
More recently you might recall the international bad rap the city got over a zoning screw up involving a Suffa Dawat Mosque (2016)**, that led to demonstrations, bad feelings and another payout of $18,000 when the Mosque filed a Federal suit against the City.
This time around it seems that the Building and Zoning Administrator is using his position to settle some personal score against the restaurant owners.
Far past time for some serious oversight from the mayor and council on this department!
"Suffa Dawat Center, Inc v. City of Kennesaw" 1:14-cv-04110-SCJ
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6/25/16
My Country Kitchen was in this location for 35 years and closed down abruptly Dec. 2, 2011. It was a good working man's restaurant and they are missed.
Photo: Dale Cole, Owner
Above Left: Bill Harris, blog author
Although the property owner had the MCC signs removed immediately, the site was vacant for many months before it was gutted, redone and finally put into service as a pizza restaurant.
Below photo from May 28, 2012
