New Jersey Mayor Seeks to Close Jon Bon Jovi’s Charity Restaurant

Over the years, Jon Bon Jovi has become known for his philanthropic work with the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which addresses homelessness, poverty and food insecurity. He and his wife, Dorothea, also gave back by opening the JBJ Soul Kitchen, a non-profit community restaurant with four locations in the rocker’s home state of New Jersey. 

Now, a New Jersey mayor wants to shut the initiative down.

The first pop-up of JBJ Soul Kitchen opened in 2011 in Red Bank, and the initiative now has two permanent locations in Rutgers University and New Jersey City University. Per the initiative’s website, “It is not a pay-what-you-want model or a soup kitchen,” because customers pay for their meals and are given the option to pay for someone else’s food. “If you are unable to pay, we invite you into our restaurant to enjoy a warm meal and learn about volunteering opportunities at JBJ Soul Kitchen,” the website reads.

In February, the restaurant opened a temporary pop-up location inside Tom River’s Ocean County Library, according to CBS News. While the pop-up is set to close in May, Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick has voiced his opinion on the initiative, reportedly claiming that the restaurant is increasing the town’s homeless population by encouraging unhoused people to go the venue. Per NJ Advance Media, Rodrick said, “If they’re going to turn this into a homeless shelter, hell, cut everybody a check and give them a Barnes and Noble gift card.”

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He continued, “I definitely want it gone. We certainly don’t think that the library is a good place. The issue was never Bon Jovi. It was [the] Ocean County Board of Commissioners who engaged with these nonprofits.” 

In response, the Ocean County Commissioner Robert Arace said, “We have data that they [the number of unhoused people in the area] have not increased. It is not a soup kitchen.”

Billboard has reached out to Bon Jovi’s reps for more information.

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