Zoning board approves temporary outdoor kitchen for Pandemonium at 84 West 14 Mile Road

The Clawson Zoning Board of Appeals on May 21 approved a temporary outdoor kitchen and limited outdoor dining area for Pandemonium at 84 West 14 Mile Road, subject to fire-safety equipment, adherence to the approved layout and an Oakland County Health Department compliance letter before operation begins.

The board acted after a public hearing in which applicant Robert Dinisio described plans to use the alley patio during the build-out of Pandemonium’s interior. Dinisio said the operation would mirror a temporary use approved last year and proposed weekend hours, including split Saturday service to allow private events: “Saturdays from 10 to 1 or 10 or 2, and then reopen again from 5 to 10 at night,” he said.

Dinisio told the board the staff will include five core employees — himself, his wife, his brother-in-law and two children — all ServSafe managerial certified, and that the team packs grills and equipment nightly and disposes of garbage daily. “We did this last year, and we did everything we abided by everything that Oakland County Health Department asked,” he said. He also said the business sometimes donates unused uncooked food to DPW or police but asked staff for guidance on after-hours donation logistics.

City staff recommended approval with conditions mirroring comments from the fire marshal and the planning packet. At the board member’s motion, the ZBA approved the application with the following conditions read into the record by the chair: use of commercial-grade tents (a 20-by-20 and a 10-by-10), a commercial ABC fire extinguisher kept within 10 feet of any heat-producing device while in use, strict adherence to the submitted layout (no increase in capacity, hours, equipment or scope without ZBA approval), and receipt of an Oakland County Health Department approval letter prior to operation.

A committee member moved to approve the temporary-use application under the Clawson zoning ordinance, chapter 34, article X, section 7.19; the motion was seconded by the chair and passed by roll call. Mister Lane, Mister Alexopoulos, Miss Hale and Miss Cindy Smith voted yes; the chair announced the motion carried and congratulated the applicants.

Staff clarified that the alley is private property and that a site plan approved by the planning commission anticipates a permanent patio once the building receives a certificate of occupancy; the current approval permits interim use while construction continues. Dinisio also noted the DDA plans to use the alley for a September event and said the business intends to keep the alley closed and convert it to a permanent patio in the future.

The ZBA did not receive public opposition at the hearing, and staff reported no neighbor complaints from last year’s temporary operation. The board’s approval is conditioned on the fire-safety and health measures listed and any other conditions on the approved layout. The applicants were instructed to secure the county health-department letter before beginning operations.

The meeting moved on to routine business and was adjourned later that evening.