Former La Costa chef's unfair dismissal claim rejected after pineapple pizza dispute

A former chef at the Fortitude Valley restaurant La Costa has had his unfair dismissal claim rejected by the Fair Work Commission. Chef David Tamburella, who was dismissed in May, argued that being asked to put pineapple on a pizza insulted his Italian heritage. The commission ruled that his claim was filed beyond the 21-day deadline and did not grant an extension, stating the circumstances were not “out of the ordinary course, unusual, special or uncommon.”

Tamburella had previously refused similar requests on three occasions over four years, according to the commission’s hearing. He also cited a workplace injury sustained a month earlier, when he fractured two metacarpal bones after striking a metal handrail.

Former owner Elliot Ingram, who now runs other Brisbane eateries, said the termination resulted from “an overall contribution of multiple factors,” with the pineapple incident acting as a catalyst. He emphasized that the restaurant aims to meet reasonable customer requests, noting, "> With Italians they’re very traditional when it comes to their food, especially pizza. But at the end of the day, we’re in Australia and we have to go with what the customers’ reasonable requests are."

Ingram added that the restaurant closed in June and that he personally does not object to pineapple on pizza, saying, "> We’re in Queensland after all – we’ve got the best pineapples in the world. But I’m more of a pepperoni guy myself, to be honest."

The case attracted international media attention, featuring in outlets such as the BBC, The Sun, The Times of London and the New York Post.