The economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has taken one of the biggest names in the Jersey Shore food scene. Modine, a popular southern restaurant in Asbury Park, announced Wednesday it was closing its doors for good.
The Mattisone Avenue eatery opened to great fanfare in 2018, with a Charleston-themed menu, a sunny, spacious dining hall and low country fare like delectable biscuits and fried chicken drizzled with honey. The restaurant was from the same group that operates Talula’s, a popular artisan pizzeria, across the street on Cookman Avenue.
Owners Steve and Shanti Mignogna told NJ Advance Media on Thursday that the restaurant was struggling financially before the COVID-19 pandemic and the ban on dine-in service had slowed business enough that they had to close.
The 6,000-square-foot space sat 140 and was routinely crowded on weekends, according to the Mignognas, but more difficult to fill during the week.
“It’s always been a hard road for us financially with that restaurant,” Steve Mignogna said. “It’s a really big space, and I think we did a really good job trying to make it a pretty space and serve really high-quality food. It was tough to have enough business in there to pay our rent and our bill. So we were always just breaking even."
Business at Modine dipped as much as 90% since the pandemic hit New Jersey, the Mignognas said.
“It wasn’t like we were super profitable, and then COVID happened," Steve Mignogna said. "We went from just scraping by to now in a deep hole that you can’t really get out of, and we didn’t see anything changing in the next couple months.”
The final decision was made Wednesday, and the restaurant announced the closure on its Instagram account.
“We have loved our time serving Asbury Park, and we want to thank you all for helping to fulfill our mission of quality food with a strong sense of community. We’re extremely proud of our team and what we have been able to accomplish over the last two months, donating over 6,000 meals to feed local families, via the extraordinary efforts of Asbury Park Dinner Table," read the post. "However, due to a loss in business caused by COVID-19, we can no longer justify continuing our operations at this time. Thank you for your understanding and support. This is a bittersweet goodbye-for-now as we look forward to what lies ahead and serving you once again in the future! Stay safe and please continue supporting our wonderful community.”
The closure comes about three months after Gov. Phil Murphy halted dine-in service at restaurants to stop the spread of COVID-19. While restaurants have been able to provide takeout and delivery service, the industry has taken a massive financial hit due to the reduced business. Outdoor dining will be allowed starting June 15.
The restaurant industry is holding its breath to see how outdoor dining, and eventually a return to indoor service, goes, as every restaurant grapples with the challenges of the crisis.
They hope to avoid Modine’s fate.
“I hope it’s not the first of more restaurants that close," Steve Mignogna said.
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.