Byram resident Christopher Burnham had to laugh when someone, after learning kids weren't permitted at his upscale Ridgeland restaurant, gave him a piece of their mind.

"I told them we don't allow kids," he said, "and they said one thing they knew for sure is that I didn't have any."

That couldn't be further from the truth. Devin, 10; Jaryd, 8; Victoria, 7; Abigail, 6; Isabella, 4; Alexander, 3; Audrianna, 2; and Guinevere, 6 months, are eight reasons why Pavoni's European Fine Dining is only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Reservations are a must. So is a coat and tie. And business is booming at Pavoni's, which debuted in January.

But some Mississippi restaurant owners are facing economic challenges. Mike Cashion, executive director of the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association, said the state's restaurant industry has been affected by the economy, which includes around 3,900 businesses.

"What's happened has been a process that started about six or nine months ago when restaurants were facing a higher cost of doing business, but consumers were still spending money," he said. "Now the cost of doing business continues to skyrocket, and they are really feeling the crunch because there's less discretionary money in the consumers' pockets."

Cashion said restaurant sales in the Jackson metro area have been down a bit.

"Right now, we as an association have focused our energies on determining how we can help restaurants," he said. "We know it's a cycle. We know we are going to come out of that cycle later this year. I don't think there's a lot of folks right now flourishing; it's just more of survival mode."

Pavoni's Burnham met his wife, Kelly, 11 years ago at Lakeshore Congregational Methodist Church in Byram, a church he sometimes attended while in town on business. They dated six months, and Burnham flew Kelly to New York on her 18th birthday to propose.

They married soon afterward and lived all over Europe. Now, eight children later, they've opened one of the state's most expensive and unique fine dining restaurants.

"We make the distinction of being structured, formal textbook, fine dining," Burnham said. "We are the only one with coat and tie required."

Using traditional English etiquette as its format and Italian decor, Burnham said customers generally feel like they've stepped into another country, and they receive a culinary education before leaving.

"We are very adamant about explaining each cuisine, each course, and Kelly will not compromise the integrity of a specific cuisine for the American palate," he said.

Kelly Burnham, a Byram native who graduated with a degree in chemistry and culinary arts from Louisiana State University, is executive chef, a position she holds with confidence after training in more than a dozen European countries.

Christopher Burnham said Pavoni's cuisine and dining experience is authentically European, and its nine-course meals vary from Hungarian, Rumanian and Austrian to Irish and English.

Price also sets Pavoni's apart from other restaurants. "We're about $100 per person without drinks," he said, "so we are, by far, the most expensive."

But the price hasn't slowed business. "We've been booked pretty solid Thursday through Saturday," he said. "We are turning down reservations, and we have people who are making reservations a year in advance.

"That sounds great, but we don't like to seat more than 16 people a night. We're not the kind of restaurant where people go eat and then go to the movie theater; we're pretty much the entertainment for the night. We often have people staying three or four hours."

Money isn't really an object for Pavoni's customers.

"I have a lot of friends in the film industry, and when any of my Hollywood guys come this way, we get them," he said. "A lot of doctors and lawyers come."

The Burnhams also own an olive grove in Central Eastern Europe, and about 90 percent of their revenues come from Pavoni's International Olive Company exports.