Pizza chef in Mahon takeaway fired after sending inappropriate texts to teen girl

A pizza chef at a Cork takeaway who was fired after sending text messages of a sexual nature to the underage daughter of a customer has lost his claim for unfair dismissal.

The operator of Mizzoni's Pizza in Mahon, Jin and Li Food Limited, claimed at the Workplace Relations Commission that Syed Saeed Akhtar had a pattern of speaking inappropriately to customers, particularly young females, which culminated in an incident where he contacted a 16-year-old girl on social media.

The girl’s mother told the WRC that her daughter had said she was getting “a creepy message” from the complainant, who had asked her about her plans for the weekend.

The company also accused Mr Akhtar of inappropriately using its data in order to contact the teenager.

The WRC heard the complainant’s dismissal arose after the girl’s mother had complained to his employer.

Mr Akhtar, who had been working almost five years at Mizzoni’s, admitted sending the messages but that it was a mistake as they were intended for an adult woman.

The WRC heard he sent a text via Facebook Messenger to a lady on October 11, 2024 during his lunch break.

Mr Akhtar said he realised that he had accidentally texted a teenager when the mother of the girl came into the takeaway later than evening. He claimed he has poor eyesight and accidentally mixed up the recipient of the message and maintained that the girl’s mother had accepted what happened as a “pure mistake". 

The complainant said he was approached by his employer, Jin Hintao, on October 17, 2024, about the issue.

He claimed another employee, Fidelma O’Callaghan, and another former worker at Mizzoni’s began shouting verbal abuse while Mr Hintao looked on smiling — a claim denied by all three.

Mr Akhtar claimed Mr Hintao said he had to let him go and he was immediately fired.

The WRC heard that Mr Akhtar twice refused to attend a meeting at the takeaway because he claimed he did not feel safe to go there as Mahon was “rough” and “a dangerous place". He also claimed his car was damaged, while eggs and stones were thrown at his property during Halloween.

Mr Akhtar, who has been working part-time in a pizzeria in Cork city since September 2025, said he had also received verbal threats since the incident.

The WRC heard evidence that the complainant had asked Ms O’Callaghan to help him find accommodation in January 2024 when he came into work upset and crying at being asked to leave the family home by his wife over allegations of impropriety, which he denied.

Ms O’Callaghan gave evidence that she had advised the complainant on several occasions that his comments and interactions with young females was inappropriate.

She claimed that he “didn’t know right from wrong". 

In a written submission, the company said it became aware in September 2024 that Mr Akhtar had been making inappropriate comments to girls aged 12-13 by describing them as “very beautiful” and “little princesses” which they had regarded as “creepy".

Mr Hintao said he had issued the complainant with a verbal warning about inappropriate behaviour after he had also made comments to colleagues after the young customers left the takeaway that they were “beautiful girls” while making lewd gestures with his hands.

The witness said he suspended Mr Akhtar after being shocked at the content of the Facebook messages that he had sent asking to meet a young girl while using information obtained from the takeaway’s database.

The mother of the teenage girl gave evidence that he had also told her daughter that he could wait two years for her and would be her boyfriend.

The woman told the WRC that her daughter also complained that Mr Akhtar told her she should ring him and would show her that he showered three times a day.