Central Otago police sub-area commander Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk said there were a few factors at play but as there was no longer a kerbside diner providing a place for people to congregate, there seemed to be fewer occurrences of disorder and wilful damage. The number of disorder offences had plummeted from six to none and wilful damage had dropped 60%, from five offences in July 2011 to two in July this year.
"With no disrespect to [Pie Cart owners] Trevor and Lynne ... the nature of the business meant they were a magnet. People tended to meet at the Pie Cart and not always with good results."
The eatery had operated in Alexandra from about 6pm to 4am Thursday to Sunday nights in some form or another for about 60 years.
Trevor Lyons and Lynne Giles have owned it for the last 16 years. In May an electrical fault caused it to catch fire.
An insurance claim had been accepted but Ms Giles said they still did not know whether that meant their business could be rebuilt. As far as she and Mr Lyons knew, only one quote had been received by their insurance company and, if that was accepted, it would take about four months for it to be rebuilt or replaced.
"Which is no good for us, because we need the Christmas trade to get us through winter."
