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How NJ restaurants are preparing for the busy Memorial Day weekend

May 05, 2023, 11:23amUpdated on May 05, 2023

By: News 12 Staff

Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start to the summer season, is just three weeks away! The weekend is a great chance to dine out with friends, family, and make some Jersey memories. So how are restaurants preparing for an active summer season ahead? After jumping 31% in January year-over-year, reservations for all New Jersey restaurants for the spring season stayed flat, according to Open Table. This reflects a population that decided to stay home after the holidays. “February and March are always very difficult months. For restaurants in this area especially,” said Shanti Mignogna, the owner of Talula’s in Asbury Park.  

The staff at Talula’s getting ready for busy summer months. Making a reservation ensures you and your party of peace of mind, knowing you’ll get the restaurant and the time you want. Open Table and Eat App are popular reservations apps. Talula’s uses the APP Resy to coordinate their requests and recommends it to their customers.

But be aware, more and more restaurants are charging a fee of up to $10 per person for failure to cancel then not showing up. “Being able to kind of expect how much we can generate or how many we can expect on a given night. The biggest thing is just show up for your reservation,” Mignogna said. Overall, the number of dining options in New Jersey is exploding with more restaurants than there have been in years. “Every county we track in New Jersey actually added more restaurants today than they had before the pandemic. In Hudson County alone, they are 13% more restaurants than there were in 2019,” said Caleb Silver of financial media website Investopedia. Mignogna says the key is keeping her investment relevant in

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By Dawn J. Larkin, ago

SC has one of the 100 best restaurants for brunch in the US, new ranking shows. Take a look

If you are craving brunch, Open Table says head to Greenville.

The online reservation service puts Soby’s New South Cuisine in the top 100 brunch restaurants in the country.

It’s South Carolina’s only one to make the list.

Here’s how Soby’s describes itself on the Open Table website: “an eclectic blend of contemporary continental cuisine infused with traditional Southern ingredients, transforming old favorites into something fresh and new.”

Carl Sobocinski founded Soby’s New South Cuisine in 1997 back when downtown Greenville became a ghost town after 5 p.m. Department stores had fled to the mall. Other restaurants mainly catered to business people needing lunch.

The building where Soby’s is located was once a shoe store.

The building where Soby’s is located was once a shoe store.

He took what was once Cancellation Shoes and turned it into a cozy brick-walled space with a richly hued wooden bar and a class front that can be opened during warm weather. There is also a special table — 301 — that overlooks the kitchen.

Table 301 at Soby’s was used as the corporate name.

Table 301 at Soby’s was used as the corporate name.

As Sobocinski grew the business, opening new concepts around downtown, he took the Name Table 301 as the parent company.

Soby’s says on Open Table, “The atmosphere is warm and energetic and the staff is well-trained to provide a fantastic dining experience for all of our guests. In addition, the wine list offers more than 500 selections and is a Wine Spectator Magazine award-winner regular.”

Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays with an a la carte menu of “Soby’s classics and Chef’s features” such as Fried Green Tomato Benedict, Challah French Toast, Croque Monsieur and biscuits and gravy and a favorite at brunch and dinner, shrimp and grits.

In case you were wondering if Greenville and its highly touted foodie scene have a bit of an image problem, Open

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By Dawn J. Larkin, ago