The restaurant industry has paid a heavy price during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were some longtime and beloved eateries that permanently closed their doors, because they could no longer survive during this time.
The New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association predicts that at least 40% of restaurants in the state will close due to the pandemic. According to Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), more than 23% of independent restaurants in New Jersey have closed.
For some that have survived, they have limped their way through 2020 and hope to rebound in 2021, but there likely will be more fallout from the shutdowns and limits on indoor dining that restaurants have had to endure.
NorthJersey.com
It s sad when restaurants close. Thanks to the worldwide pandemic, this has been a profoundly sad year for the hard-hit restaurant industry.
According to the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, at least 8% of restaurants have closed this year due to the pandemic. It expects another 42% to close.
The following is a list of restaurants that were felled by COVID-19. They run the gamut from small, casual joints to expansive, full-service emporiums, from independently owned restaurants to chains, from barely opened spots to longtime stalwarts. COVID-19 has proven to be an equal-opportunity destroyer.
We bid these restaurants adieu. We also included a list of restaurants that have closed temporarily. We hope to see their doors wide open again, soon.
Indoor dining was resumed in New Jersey at 25% capacity on Sept. 4. At the time, guidelines were put in place that are still enforced today: tables must be spaced at least 6 feet apart; buffets and self-serve stations are prohibited; staff must disinfect shared surfaces (menus, chairs, tables) after each use.
Coronavirus cases were at a months-long low in September. In November, as cases began to rise back to the levels seen in the spring, Murphy imposed a 10 p.m. curfew for indoor dining at bars and restaurants that is still in effect. Outdoor dining can continue past 10 p.m. Murphy also banned all indoor bar seating, where he said research suggested the virus was spread more frequently.