‘It’s tough to see’ — Generations-old NJ Restaurant Reduced to Rubble

A generations-old restaurant in the Garden State has been reduced to a pile of rubble and, as expected, locals were sad to see a place that held so many memories get demolished.

Disturbing trend continues

Sadly, there has been no shortage of restaurant closings in New Jersey to talk about lately.

While some were a part of big chains, many of them were mom-and-pop eateries and their decision to close was quite painful.

Some of the restaurants that we have lost this year include the following:

• Empire Diner, Parsippany

The Empire Diner on Route 46 in Parsippany closed recently.

Reports say the diner was doing well until COVID struck. From then, they cut their menu and operating hours.

• Bertucci's

The last location of Bertucci's Italian Restaurant in New Jersey closed this summer.

While none remain open in the Garden State, you can find a few Bertucci's in the region. Two are in the suburbs of Philadelphia and there's another in Newark, DE. A handful more can be found in the Baltimore-Washington area and in Connecticut.

• Mystic Islands Casino

After almost 60 years on Mathistown Road in southern Ocean County, the bar and restaurant portion of Mystic Islands Casino closed on July 17th.

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Newest addition to the list

After 65 years of serving delicious food, The Fireplace Restaurant on Route 17 at Firehouse Lane in Paramus closed two years ago due to financial struggles associated with COVID.

Now, according to northjersey.com, it has been demolished.

Paramus Mayor Chris DiPiazza told the site, "It's sad when a business like The Fireplace is no longer. If you've grown up in this part of Bergen County, you have a lot of childhood memories at The Fireplace."

In its place, a Chick-fil-A will be constructed sometime in the near future.