Hoboken Bar Founded By 'Real Housewives Of NJ' Stars Cited

Caren Lissner
Updated ·4 min read

HOBOKEN, NJ – Two Hoboken bar/restaurants were cited by the Hoboken Office of Emergency Management recently for allegedly violating coronavirus precautions, and could lose their sidewalk cafes if they do so again, a city spokesman confirmed Thursday.

One of those eateries, the Ainsworth, was opened in 2015 in Hoboken by Albie Manzo and Chris Manzo of "Real Housewives of New Jersey."

Hoboken city spokesman Vijay Chaudhuri said Thursday, "A manager at Ainsworth was cited for the restaurant violating the state’s orders due to patrons dining indoors. Ainsworth was also provided a written warning by the Office of Emergency Management for social distancing violations as per Mayor Bhalla’s recent Executive Order and the next violation will subject the business to the revocation of its outdoor sidewalk cafe."

Restaurants in New Jersey actually will be allowed to reopen for indoor dining on Thursday, under state guidelines, including keeping capacity to 25 percent.

Chaudhuri added, "Madd Hatter was also served with a warning by OEM of violating the Mayor’s Executive Order and lack of social distancing and the next violation will also result in their sidewalk cafe removal, as determined by OEM."

In Gov. Phil Murphy's daily briefing on Thursday, State Police Superintendent Col. Patrick Callahan said, in response to a question about activity overnight, "Generally, relatively uneventful overnight. In Hoboken, a bar owner was cited ... In Linden, a gym owner was cited for having multiple patrons inside on equipment, and in Willingboro, a subject under arrest in a domestic violence case. Ultimately, while being processed, coughed on officers indicating that he had tested positive for COVID-19 last week, and that's all I got, governor."

Outdoor dining reopened statewide last week, with many towns, including Hoboken, assisting businesses by streamlining permit processes and allowing "streateries," or eateries that extend further onto the sidewalk or closed portions of streets.

More than 50 Hoboken establishments applied under the special rules to serve food outdoors. (READ MORE.)

In a daily update on Thursday, Mayor Ravi Bhalla also praised eateries that followed the rules: "While there are a select few businesses that have not been successfully implementing social distancing and crowd control outside of their businesses (as required by the Executive Order I signed earlier this week) and have received written warnings from the Office of Emergency Management and citations from the Hoboken Police Department, I want to thank many Hoboken establishments for taking these rules seriously."

He said, "In particular, the Shepherd and the Knucklehead posted these regulations (requiring masks for everyone waiting in line and prohibiting 'to go' drinks from being consumed in line) for everyone to see and actively enforced it this week. I appreciate the understanding from the many small business owners who I know are taking the necessary precautions to keep us all safe."

After a period in which Hoboken had only one new coronavirus case in a week, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in two updates this week — one Monday and one Thursday morning— that there had been 16 new cases reported in the last week, bringing the total to 588.

But Hoboken has gone over a month without any new deaths reported. A total of 30 Hoboken residents have passed away due to the virus. The last reported new fatality was May 21.

Hoboken, a square-mile city of 53,000 people across the river from Manhattan, was one of the first cities to begin shutting down certain facilities and businesses in March.

As some reopen, Bhalla urged wearing a mask and social distancing. The Centers for Disease Control currently recommends wearing a face covering to reduce the transmission of coronavirus.

Here are some other Hoboken business updates:

  • First Street will be reserved for pedestrians and shoppers this Sunday, and more restaurants are adding "streateries" for outdoor dining. READ MORE.

  • Kings supermarkets updated residents on their sanitizing procedures and on an employee who tested positive last month. READ MORE.

  • Two of the city's weekly farmers' markets reopened this month. READ MORE.

  • The city and Patch both have directories of businesses that are open and closed. Check it out and add your listing. READ MORE.

  • The city will be closing off certain blocks for businesses to expand and draw foot traffic. READ MORE.

  • Read more about unemployment, small business, and other coronavirus regulations and benefits in New Jersey here.

Got local news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. To keep up with local breaking news when it happens, and get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.


This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch