During the pandemic, Charlie Brown’s, a popular restaurant chain in New Jersey shut down 13 of its once-popular restaurants. The restaurant chain was forced to close its doors in all but one restaurant due to the prolonged pandemic lockdown by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in 2020.
“New Jersey was shut down longer than any state in the U.S., then only reopening at 25% capacity for indoor dining is not enough as we lost outdoor dining with winter,” the company said in a statement via NJ Advance Media. “So, many people think that full-service restaurants can make it on take-out and third-party, but that is not the case.”
In a newsletter published by Woodbury Mayor Peg Sickel, that town’s restaurant is coming back.
It is with great anticipation that we can announce that it is official – CHARLIE BROWN’S FRESH GRILL is returning to Woodbury! The iconic chain has been around for over 50 years and built its reputation on offering “signature and aged hand-carved, slow-roasted prime rib, delicious USDA Choice Steaks, juicy USDA burgers and their famous unlimited Farmers Market Salad Bar.”
The coronavirus pandemic’s took its toll on the franchise and forced the closing of all but the Scotch Plains, NJ location. The empty building on Broad Street was a somber reminder to our residents of the loss of one of our beloved restaurant locations. Woodbury residents would reach out to the owners on their website to tell their own stories of special events that took place in those walls.
Woodbury’s voices were heard and it is the FIRST location to be reopened with the others being evaluated for their viability. “Woodbury has always been good to us and it is a tight-knit community,” explained Director of Business Development, Max Drattell, who had been working closely with the Mayor, City Council and city administration to make this a reality. It will be sometime in the first quarter of 2022 when we can savor the flavors of their delicious food!
The renovations plans are being laid out with improvements to the exterior (new awnings, paint, signage) and interior upgrades to the flooring and the bathrooms.
Woodbury Mayor Peg Sickel