Kerrie Joyce 
As The Local Girl has been watching closely, New Jersey diners have been increasingly closing their doors in recent years. The state’s iconic pre-fab restaurants were once a staple, but have begun limiting hours, menus, or closing down altogether. Earlier this month, New Jersey state lawmakers proposed a bill, the “Saving Our Diners and Protecting Our Past Act,” which would grant tax breaks for diners and other long-running restaurants in the state. Read on for more information about the bill and its current status.
About the Saving Our Diners and Protecting Our Past Act
New Jersey is famous for several things, especially its restaurants and diners. Since the 1940s, diners have become an identifying landmark of the Garden State alongside musicians Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen. Two especially dedicated New Jersey residents whom The Local Girl interviewed earlier this year have even made it their mission to visit all of the state’s diners as their numbers continue to shrink. The restaurants are known for their extensive menus and late-night hours, both of which are now hard to come by due to rising costs and changing consumer behaviors.
To ease the burden of such costs on diner owners, State Senator Paul Moriarty sponsored a bill that would extend tax exemptions and tax credits to qualifying diners and restaurants. The bill applies to both diners and historic restaurants, requiring each to be a small business in good standing that has been open for at least 25 years. For diners, the bill defines a qualifying diner as, “a food establishment that: serves food and beverages to customers primarily for on-site consumption at a booth, table, or counter setting; engages primarily in the preparation and serving of a wide variety of menu offerings, including, but not limited to, hamburgers, salads, sandwiches, soups, breakfast items, entrees, pastries, pies, and beverages.” For historic restaurants, the bill requires that those businesses be family-owned to qualify for the proposed exemptions.
The bill was introduced on December 8th, 2025 and has since been referred to the Senate Economic Growth Committee. It has yet to be voted on, and this piece will be updated as new information arises.
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