Meeting On Panera And Homelessness Issues Postponed In Hoboken

HOBOKEN, NJ — Months after Panera restaurant on Washington Street took away its indoor seating in response to fights, the property owner said last week that she had scheduled a meeting with city officials for Monday, May 15 — but it was postponed.

Patch reported in February that Panera Bread, located on Hoboken's main street and two blocks from the homeless shelter, had just removed its indoor seating, with an assistant manager saying the move was in response to fights and hypodermic needles in the bathroom.

The story set off a wave of news coverage in outlets including NBC and the New York Post.

Hoboken officials noted that they had just hired two full-time social workers to connect the homeless population with resources. The Hoboken shelter also continues to work with its guests to provide them with job training and other resources, and they recently served their 3 millionth free meal to those in need.

Last week, a property owner expressed frustrations that the city had not done more to handle security issues in that area of Washington Street, referring to four incidents that police had to address in 2022 and 2023, including an alleged assault of a staff member.

She presented correspondence with city officials starting in May 2022 that said, "I represent the landlord and owner of the above referenced property where the Panera Bread restaurant is located (308-10 Washington Street Hoboken NJ): Please make note that there are individuals homeless or otherwise that are loitering on the sidewalk outside the above referenced premise & conglomerating in the store for many hours and days, weeks, months at a time (every day) not as paying patrons or customers or shoppers ... "

She said a customer had hit an employee in the face. "Panera Bread is not able to proceed with their outdoor dining plans as a result," she wrote.

A year later, she says the problems are continuing. "When a crime takes place there is no recourse to stop repeat offenders from continuing to patronize the restaurant and repeating the same offenses, continuing violent behavior and harassment of the employees," she said.

Last week, the owner presented an email chain from city attorney Brian Aloia showing that Mayor Ravi Bhalla planned to meet with her and other involved parties Monday morning, May 15, at 11 a.m. to discuss possible solutions. Several council members were on the chain.

However, last Friday morning, the landlord said the meeting had been postponed.

The city said Monday that the meeting was postponed because no representatives from the restaurant would be there. They said they'd happily meet with them when they're ready.

"The city is more than willing to meet in person with staff or management from Panera, and has communicated as such to representatives of the establishment," said a city spokesperson Monday. "The meeting was postponed as neither staff nor management was scheduled to be present."

Taking Steps To Help

Meanwhile, all three Starbucks stores in Hoboken have removed much of their indoor seating, as well, moving it against the windows rather than work tables.

In March, Patryk Szukalski, the store manager at Panera, referred questions from the press to a vice president at Panera's national headquarters, who did not respond. But he said the change was part of a "new reality" in urban restaurants, particularly with the rise of grab-and-go service.

Nationally, Panera focuses on nutrition and donates to charities and schools through its "Dough Nation" program.

Hoboken's homeless shelter has been located two blocks from the main strip of Washington Street for decades, but city officials said said recently that the homeless population is growing.

On Feb 1, Hoboken augmented its Office of Constituent Services by adding two full-time social workers to deal just with the homeless population, who work under the director of the office.

In past years and through several administrations, city and county officials have publicly announced various initiatives and task forces to help the homeless, including Hoboken's announcement of a new Homelessness Task Force in 2018.

But the city had not hired a staff member to deal exclusively with homelessness before this year.

City spokesperson Marilyn Baer had said in March that Panera had not reached out
to City Hall with concerns before removing its indoor seating.

She added, "The city is bringing more resources to bear to help assist those experiencing homelessness. While cities across the county grapple with this issue, the city of Hoboken is one of very few municipalities who have proactively hired two social workers who are specifically trained
to meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness by helping to connect them with the proper support services, which in turn will help to keep them off the streets."

The Hoboken Homeless Shelter has also made changes this year.

Director Jaclyn Cherubini told NJ.com that during the pandemic, the shelter had staggered the times people could be inside, to reduce crowding. This year, they began allowing more people inside at once. The shelter provides case management and skills training, and accepts volunteers and donations.

Over the last year, the Hoboken Library has made creative efforts to help low-income and homeless residents by providing services and toiletries free of charge. They also host a weekly drop-in with a social worker to help people access government services and fill out paperwork.

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