On June 29, Governor Murphy announced the reopening of indoor dining at 25 percent capacity, previously scheduled for July 2, has been postponed indefinitely. In his remarks, the Governor stated that this decision is primarily based on spikes in other states across the nation, as well as a lack of regard for social distancing and wearing of facial coverings in certain parts of New Jersey. No new date to resume indoor dining was given at this time.

The CCSNJ supports the statement made by the NJ Restaurant & Hospitality Association (NJRHA) – seen in the graphic below - regarding Governor Murphy’s unexpected decision to indefinitely postpone limited indoor dining.

Also, as a member of the NJ Business Coalition, the CCSNJ joined a group of more than 100 leading business and nonprofit groups throughout the state in issuing the below statement following Gov. Phil Murphy’s signing of Executive Order 158, temporarily pausing the resumption of indoor dining in New Jersey.

"While we respect the fact that other states are seeing a surge in COVID numbers, such a comparison, along with the concern of “knuckleheads” not following the rules, is not a basis to penalize New Jersey restaurant owners who are committed to doing the right thing.

In response to the Governor’s original notice that indoor dining could commence on July 2 at 25% capacity, New Jersey restaurant owners made plans. They invested in interior changes to their facilities, notified staff they can come back to work and spent considerable dollars to purchase food and beverages in order to meet the demands of the customers they were ready to serve. 

Many restaurant owners have not generated the revenue to pay for these startup expenses over the past 15 weeks, and therefore, dug deep into their own personal pockets to restart their business. Who is going to reimburse these lost costs? Food, now at premium prices, has a very short shelf life. Additionally, how many times are we going to train up a workforce only to send them back to unemployment?

On top of all this, the Governor vetoed a bill this week that would have established an emergency loan program for qualified small hospitality businesses, using federal funds. And now, as a ripple effect, we see some of our Atlantic City casinos refusing this weekend to open due to this pause. This is yet another blow to our tourism industry and New Jersey’s overall economy, which relies on casino revenues to fund important state programs.

These businesses were willing to face insurmountable odds of surviving on 25% capacity, knowing the losses that continue to rack up and they were, and are, ready to follow the rules and demand that their patrons do the same. We urge Governor Murphy not to pull back on those businesses because of bad actors. If some are not in compliance, enforce the order and hold them accountable.

For the rest, let them open, as originally planned.”

Please reach out to Hilary Chebra, Manager, Government Affairs, at hchebra@chambersnj.com if you have any questions.