Barnegat Bay Restaurant Week Spotlights Eateries, Spurs Economy

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ — Jim Wioland has always been a proponent of promoting small businesses, knowing that the restaurants and shops that call Lacey Township home play a major role in driving the local economy.

So, when Township Committeeman Timothy McDonald approached Wioland, the director of the township’s recreation department, about spotlighting local eateries in a first of its kind Restaurant Week, Wioland went to work.

Five restaurants around the Barnegat Bay have signed on to participate in the Restaurant Week, which will take place between Oct. 1-10. The event is taking place thanks in part to the Ocean County Board of Commissioners and each restaurant will offer menu specials that highlight their particular cuisine.

The event comes at a time when many local small businesses continue to feel the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Although the loosening of restrictions by state health officials and Gov. Phil Murphy have helped, Wioland said some restaurants are unable to participate because they do not have the staff to handle this kind of commitment and operate at full capacity.

What may set this Restaurant Week apart from others is the region’s ability to cater to dockside meal service. A number of local eateries are located so that boaters can simply pull up and either pick up food or dock and dine, which Wioland said, offers a unique feature for the upcoming event.

“Any time we can take an opportunity — with COVID in the picture, without COVID in the picture — to highlight our local businesses to spark the economy for our town or our region, it’s important,” Wioland said Thursday. “It brings people in that may not have been coming into our town. If they’re coming in for dinner, they’re stopping maybe at a shop they see that they’ve never seen before and maybe that leads to something else.”

At this time, the following restaurants are participating, and organizers are working to finalize menu specials. More restaurants may join on before next week, Wioland said, but with this being the first time Restaurant Week has taken place here, organizers knew they may have to start small and grow.

• Captain’s Inn, 304 E. Lacy Rd., Forked River
• Mario’s Pizza, 422 S. Main St., Forked River
• Shady Rest, 796 Atlantic City, Blvd., Bayville
• Sweet Jenny’s, 688 W. Bay Ave., Barnegat
• The Waterfront, 361 E. Lacy Rd., Forked River

Wioland said that depending on how the event is received by local residents, organizers hope to make Restaurant Week an annual event for years to come.

“I think we have lot to offer in Lacey Township and it’s no wonder why we have an influx of people wanting to move into the town,” Wioland said. “It’s always important to highlight our local businesses because they are what really drive our local community. If we lost local business, we’d lose a major part of our community, and it puts the whole local economy into a challenging time.”