Parking lot dining is all the rage today in new jersey

Parking Lot Dining is all the Rage Today in New Jersey

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1 min read
June 15, 2020

HOWELL, NJ – One of our favorite local breakfast chains, IHOP is celebrating somewhat of a reopening today.  They have announced new parking lot dining at their Howell Township location.  While this is great for the store and people who miss everything IHOP has to offer, it also pointed out the absurdity of this entire reopening fiasco being run by Governor Phil Murphy.

Small business owners have been so beaten, so degraded and humiliated by this governor over the past 30 days as he continually moves the goal post for the state’s small businesses that when he graces them with the ability to move tables into their parking lot, roped off with yellow police tape, we are rejoicing for our new freedom.

Today, New Jerseyans will suck up a little bit of their own pride and dignity to support these small businesses who are absolutely dying out there.  We’ll go and sit in a parking lot, on the side of a road and enjoy the fact that we can once again be allowed to have a meal cooked by a professional.

Parking lot dining is not the answer for these businesses.  We’re going to have rainy days.  We’re going to have hot days.  We’re going to have humid days.  Once the novelty of parking lot dining wears off and the summer heats up, finding customers for outdoor dining anywhere that wasn’t specifically built for outdoor dining might be a hard sell.    Outdoor dining will thrive in downtowns and tourist areas, but in mid-July, is anyone going to want to sit outside in a strip mall asphalt parking lot with surface temperatures well above 100 degrees in the high Jersey Shore humidity?

This is only a bandaid fix and regardless of what Governor Murphy says each day on television, this is not the answer to keep New Jersey’s small businesses and restaurants from going completely under.

Murphy needs to address indoor dining immediately before more restaurants join those who have already permanently closed their doors.  Either way, today is a beautiful day, so go enjoy a nice meal and support your local restaurants!

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

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