Dispensary Could Replace Longtime Restaurant In Burlington County

MARLTON, NJ — A longstanding restaurant in Burlington County could get replaced with a cannabis dispensary.

The Mexican Food Factory is the longest continually running eatery in Evesham, operating since 1979. A prospective cannabis business approached the family-owned restaurant about putting a dispensary at the site. Evesham Township Council approved the dispensary for 601 Route 70 W at Wednesday's meeting.

In the meantime, The Mexican Food Factory remains open for business. The move isn't guaranteed either. Opening a dispensary in New Jersey is a multipronged process requiring various approvals at the local and state levels.

But as it stands, Sativa Wellness's plan to open a dispensary at the site has momentum. The Mexican Food Factory's ownership says the prospective business approached them to open a dispensary there, and the eatery promises transparency as the approval process advances.

"We love being a part of the local community and have served multiple generations of families and friends throughout the years," the restaurant's Facebook page says. "As well as having hosted countless birthdays, graduations, engagements, retirements, first dates, etc. etc. etc. for the past 44 years. There are a lot of people who are alive today because their parents or grandparents met at the MFF!"

A View From Evesham first reported the council's approval.

Former restaurants along highways have become the sites of active and planned dispensaries around New Jersey, since zoning laws keep many away from residential areas. That includes the shuttered Marlton Diner — set to become a dispensary owned by Enlighten Health and Wellness.

Sativa Wellness originally intended to open an Evesham dispensary on Centre Boulevard, but the plan fell through.

New Jersey currently has 45 dispensaries, including two in Burlington County and four in Camden County, according to the state cannabis commission.