Historic New Jersey diners are on the verge of getting a crucial lifeline

🔴 Lawmakers advance the SODA POP Act to save historic, family-run diners.

🔴 Bill would create a registry and offer tax breaks up to $25,000.

🔴 Debate erupts as critics say the measure “picks winners and losers.”

New Jersey famously has an intense love for its diners, but many are closing their doors.

Just last year, the state lost the historic Miss America Diner in Jersey City, the Collingswood Diner, and the Americana Diner in West Orange. Dozens of others like the Cherry Hill Diner have shuttered since the pandemic.

Lawmakers are advancing a bill that could prevent more historic diners from closing. The "Saving Our Diners and Protecting Our Past Act" was recently passed in the General Assembly.

SODA POP Act advances in New Jersey Senate

Now, the SODA POP Act (S2165) is moving through the state Senate. The "game-changing" bill was advanced in the Senate Economic Growth Committee last week, sponsor Sen. Paul Moriarty, D-Camden, said.

If it's signed into law, the SODA POP Act would create a registry of family-run historic diners and restaurants in New Jersey that have been in business for at least 25 years. The registry would be updated each year.

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All diners and restaurants on the registry would be eligible for tax benefits, including a sales tax exemption for food and beverages, plus a tax credit of up to $25,000 for the cost of ingredients.

“Diners, and specifically historic diners, are a cornerstone of our great state, having served residents and visitors for many decades. They are part of our culture and our history, and we have a duty to help them thrive," Moriarty said.

Lawmakers clash over tax breaks for historic diners

Assemblyman Brian Bergen, R-Morris, was one of only nine General Assembly members who voted against the bill.

"First of all, we do not say 'soda pop' in New Jersey. So, the name of this bill already seriously offends me. Whoever came up with that name should be fired," Bergen said.

With less snark, Bergen said that the bill picks winners and losers; he questioned why newer diners shouldn't get the same benefits as historic locations. Then, Bergen said that the proposed tax credit "isn't real" — these businesses already get a tax credit back through the Business Alternative Income Tax.

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