Morristown Bar Shut Down After Violating Executive Order

MORRISTOWN, NJ - Easy come, easy go. Not even a week after being given a special permit for outdoor dining and drink serving, Tashmoo on Dehart Street had their expanded license revoked after violating executvie orders to curb the spread of COVID-19, officials said.

"Since the State began allowing outdoor dining and limited retail, the Town has worked hard with our local businesses to allow them to begin serving customers and recoup financial losses from the closures needed during the ongoing public health emergency," officials said in a statement. "Many of our established restaurants and retailers have worked hard to pivot their business model to comply with the State regulations and ensure the health of their patrons. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to the contrary, not all businesses followed the guidelines and we had to shut them down."

The situation at Tashmoo has prompted new rules to avoid the situation from repeating itself:

• Capacity of an expansion area will be limited to the number of seats approved as part of a socially distanced layout
• No standing patrons will be permitted; everyone must be seated to be served
• No patrons are permitted self-service of alcohol unless served to go in compliance with the State’s guidelines; all on-premise alcohol service must be done by wait staff to seated patrons
• Capacity for any outside dining area or expansion will be limited to no more than the indoor capacity of the associated business

"We remind our businesses of the following guidelines which are outlined in the Governor’s Executive Order 150 including ensuring the all staff are wearing a face covering and that lines of patrons waiting for seating adhere to social distancing guidelines and do not block and otherwise impede the sidewalk," officials said.

Morristown PBA President Dennis Bergman posted on social media that officers have no control over what businesses are allowed to open and what businesses they are tasked with keeping closed.

"We are following the direction of the town administration. That being said we encourage you to attend the upcoming council meeting or reach out to your town council representative for more answers," he said. "We encourage you to keep in mind that the officers on the street that are responding to these calls are not dictating nor consulted on policy."

Morristown Business Administrator Jillian Barrick said that Tashmoo is the only bar to have had its permit revoked, which she did in a letter addressed to owner David Walsh dated June 20. "Your outdoor dining expansion for Tashmoo at 8 Dehart Street is revoked effective immediately. You will not be permitted to open," the letter said.

In preparation for the dining expansion the Morristown governing body moved to give Barrick the ability to approve applications for permits to speed up the process and help businesses.

"We want all of Morristown’s businesses to succeed into the future and will continue to do our best to support those efforts, but we must ensure the safety and welfare of our residents and visitors first and will not tolerate any business that does not work with us to achieve that goal," a town statement said.

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