Corleone's

One of the most buzzed-about new mid-priced restaurants near Pisa, Italy has some strict policies - prospective diners undergo a background check courtesy of the Ministry of Justice, purses and cell phones are confiscated during the meal, you better bring a photo ID, and you'll be watched the whole time by armed guards. This 120 seat restaurant is located in a 500 year old active high security prison, Fortezza Medicea. You walk past the cells to get to the dining room

Many of the chefs, cooks, and servers are in for murder, sometimes mafia-related. The sommelier is serving a 24 year sentence, the head chef is in for life. So is the piano player. However, many of the staff will be released eventually, and the prison hopes that the skills learned in the restaurant will help them adjust when they get out. It's proving to be a successful program and the prison system is interested in expanding the program to other prisons.

Make your reservation now - the place books up quickly.

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Deena Muzzi
Wow.. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. Very interesting blog too. Pleased to meet you. Big smiles Dee
moebly
Actually, that kind of restaurant would probably do quite well in here in Japan. Theme restaurants are really popular here, and we already have two competing chains of prison-themed restaurants, Alcatraz and Lockup, which have more than a dozen restaurants across the country. Supposedly, you get handcuffed by the hostess when you come in the door. Then you’re led to a cell. Prison staffers serve you food on trays, through a slit between the bars of the door to your cell. I’m sure you could find lots of people here willing to pay extra to dine in an authentic prison atmosphere. The only potential problem that I can see with the concept is you’d never get most people here to surrender their mobile phones for the length of an entire meal.
Jenna
Hi Deena, nice to meet you too!

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I know theme restaurants are huge but didn't realize there were already prison ones. That's fantastic. A jumpy coworker went to a ninja-theme sushi place recently here in NYC. You walk along a long hallway to get to the dining room. It's kind of dark and lined with bamboo, and "ninjas" jump out at you. Almost makes prison dining sound appealing!
L
interesting concept for theme dining and enjoyed reading your bbc post as well. this reminds me of opaque where you dine in the dark and are seated/served your meal by blind waiters. aside from the small food fight which took place, my friends and i have only fantastic things to say about the experience.

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