Bill To Save N.J.’s Iconic Diners Eyes Spring Passage

By Suzette Parmley, The Sun Newspapers

A bill weaving its way through the New Jersey Legislature could provide much-needed relief for historic diners and restaurants throughout New Jersey.

Its sponsors – all Democrats from South Jersey – are pushing for it to become part of the new fiscal year budget currently being crafted in Trenton, and which must pass by June 30.

If the stars align, supporters say the “Saving Our Diners and Preserving Our Past (aka the “SODA POP Act”) could get a floor vote in both chambers in the coming weeks and secure a place in the new budget.

“It has broad support,” Assembly Majority Leader Louis Greenwald (D-Camden), the bill’s prime sponsor in the lower house, said last week. “Diners are the backbone of our communities. They’re in jeopardy right now and they’re struggling.”

The family-owned The Meadows Diner in Blackwood, N.J., has had different iterations over the last five decades and would qualify for the tax breaks and credits under the SODA POP Act. Pictured above from left to right: Husband and wife Evan Liatos and Amy Liatos, and Amy’s brothers Jimmy Hionas and Nick Hionas.

Under the bill, the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism would create an annual historic diner and restaurant registry. An entity would need to be in existence at least 25 years in a fixed location, be solely owned and operated by family members, and qualify as a small business under federal law.

The historic diners and restaurants that land on the registry could receive:

1. A tax credit of up to $25,000 a year, based on how much they spend on food ingredients, to help their bottom line. The tax credit is transferable if they want to sell it to someone who needs it, or they can use it themselves.

2. Forfeiting having to charge a 7 percent sales tax on their meals to help them save some money and encourage more business, as opposed to customers going to an eatery that has to charge it.

3. A plaque and designation as a historic diner or restaurant to use for marketing purposes and attracting tourists.

Saving ‘New Jersey’s DNA’

This is about preserving a piece of ‘New Jersey’s DNA,’ contends Sen. Paul Moriarty, the Gloucester County Democrat, the bill’s prime sponsor in the Senate, who frequents diners.

“It’s a popular bill that speaks to New Jersey’s culture – a bill that should get done, and hopefully, will get done before we break in June,” said the Senator.

Moriarty, who is co-prime sponsor with Sen. James Beach (D-Burlington/Camden), said he was alarmed over the number of diners that have closed since the state lifted COVID restrictions in 2023.

Among the casualties in Camden County: Cherry Hill Diner, located at 2341 Route 38 in Cherry Hill, which had existed for 58 years, permanently closed on April 30, 2023. It currently sits dark and empty, a shell of its former self. Collingswood Diner in Oaklyn, meanwhile, served its final meal on Aug. 10, 2025, after 50 years. Its owner sold the property to be converted into a cannabis dispensary.

Diners – like Cherry Hill Diner and Collingswood Diner – have disappeared from the New Jersey landscape due to economic and social pressures. A bill in Trenton would try to relieve some of the financial stress for historic diners and restaurant owners.

“It was alarming to me because I have such fond memories and so many of my constituents have equally fond memories of enjoying a meal with family and friends in these diners,” Moriarty said in a recent interview. “We do a lot to lure or retain big companies to keep them from leaving the state. Why can’t we do that for small businesses that are part of the DNA culture of New Jersey, and maybe throw them a lifeline and help them to continue and be here for successive generations.”

The SODA POP Act has clear economic implications, said Greenwald, who is co-prime sponsor with Bill Moen Jr. (D-Camden) and Dan Hutchison (D-Gloucester) in the Assembly.

Greenwald recounted a recent trip to Ocean City with his wife, where he said he noticed a landmark restaurant near the Ninth Street Bridge in Ocean City – the family-owned Windjammer Café Bar & Grill – was no more. It had closed abruptly last November after 13 years serving the Somers Point community.

“Our state’s biggest source of revenue comes from income tax,” said Greenwald. “Having these places open and employing people is important. There’s no doubt the bill will have an impact in helping these businesses. They’re landmarks. They’re worth saving.”

The New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association supports the SODA POP Act “because it provides meaningful relief for diners and historic restaurants while helping preserve this important part of New Jersey’s hospitality history,” said Amanda Stone, Senior Vice-President of Public Affairs for the trade group.

“You can’t tell the story of New Jersey without discussing diners,” added Stone, who testified in support of the bill and worked with its sponsors. “They’re an iconic part of our state’s identity, a unique attraction for visitors, and gathering places that bring communities together.”

Server Anne Marie McNally looks over the dining area of The Meadows Diner in Blackwood, N.J. The iconic diner employs about 60 workers and has been around under different names for over 50 years.

A Treasure In Blackwood

The Meadows Diner on 101 South Black Horse Pike in Blackwood, Gloucester County, meets all the criteria of the bill.

For third-generation owners, Amy Liatos, 45, and her brothers, Jimmy Hionas, 45, and Nick Hionas, 46, balancing keeping the customers happy and paying the bills is a constant challenge.

Amy’s parents owned and operated Midtown2 Restaurant, a 24/7 diner in Center City Philadelphia, while her grandfather owned the Galaxy Diner in West Philadelphia with his brothers. Her dad retired from the family business in June 2016 and handed it down to her and her brothers.

In addition to The Meadows, Amy’s family also owns and operates The Lamp Post Diner in nearby Clementon, about two miles away. The siblings and Amy’s husband, Evan Liatos, split their time between the two diners. You can spot either of Amy’s kids helping out their parents at the pair of diners on weekends.

Over the past five decades, the iconic Meadows Diner has gone through three iterations: first, as a dining car that was part of the Bellevue Diner in Pine Hill; then it moved to Blackwood and became the Blackwood Diner; it settled into its current location and name in the 1990’s.

A family affair. From left to right: Evan Liatos, 50, wife Amy Liatos, 45, Amy’s brothers Nick Hionas, 46, and Jimmy Hionas, 45. The family owns and operates The Meadows Diner in Blackwood and The Lamp Post Diner in Clementon, both fixtures in their respective communities.

Last month’s expenses at The Meadows provided a snapshot of the hardship: snow removal went up 100 percent from last year; trash removal went up another $1,000 per month. On the repair end, the family spent $7,000 to update the diner’s fire suppression system to pass fire code, and another $5,000 to update the men’s and women’s three bathroom stalls and a partition.

Amy Liatos said the remaining repairs for this year include: $9,200 to maintain the diner booths and $30,000 to re-seal, coat, and line stripe the parking lot after the salting and plowing from the heavy winter snowfall left cracks in the asphalt.

In addition, labor costs spiked again last January when New Jersey’s minimum wage went up to $15.92 an hour. The Meadows Diner employs about 60.

“Obviously, we don’t want to raise our prices every single time, and we try to absorb some of that cost because it’s not fair to the customers,” explained Amy. “Each month is a struggle. There are months we don’t break even.”

The bright spot for April, she said, was that income tax checks were being mailed out, so people had more disposable income to spend on dining out. But she’s worried that the high gas prices could easily offset that.

Maintaining a phonebook-sized menu was also costly as food prices continue to rise.

“The unique problem with diners is that to be a diner, obviously, you have to have a large menu,” said Amy. “We offer everything for everyone. Breakfast all day, every day.

“Whereas some restaurants that have a limited menu are able to control their food costs, our food costs are much higher because we carry so much,” she said.

Regulars Joe Cerulli, 70, Terry Lally, 65, and their grandson Maxwell Timmins, 7, enjoy a recent lunch at The Meadows Diner in Blackwood, N.J. “It’s just like the diners we grew up with,” said Cerulli from Mount Ephraim. “It’s nice in here, and the food is so good.” The family also frequents The Meadows’s sister diner, The Lamp Post, in nearby Clementon.

Evan Liatos, 50, Amy’s husband, said staying affordable was key despite everything else going up.

“We have to keep our prices fairly reasonable because you’re not a destination restaurant,” said Evan. “You’re the family hometown diner where people come in and eat every day in their pajamas, in their flip flops. We have to stay affordable, which makes our margins thinner than most.”

The family has a clear message to the politicians behind the saving New Jersey diners bill: Pass it. Please. And soon.

“Diners are a part of Jersey. We’re the fabric of the state,” said Amy Liatos, who began working in her parents’ diner with both brothers when they were children. “If you want to know about a community, go to the diner, you’re going to meet the people.”

On having The Meadows Diner on a registry of historical diners that the legislation would create, Amy Liatos said it can only help businesses.

“I think it will bring tourism to the state,” she said. “I know there’s a lot of food tourism nowadays.

“I think people will plan a whole trip around it and say, ‘Hey, let’s visit all the historic Jersey diners.’”