Centenary Stage Company Joins Hackettstown Organizations To Kick Off SPOTLIGHT ON DINING

Members of four organizations in the Hackettstown area will join forces to launch "Spotlight on Dining", an initiative to help support local restaurants which have been heavily impacted by the lockdowns during the Covid 19 Pandemic.

The Hackettstown Rotary Club, the Centenary Stage Company, the Hackettstown BID and Centenary University's Enactus organization will mount a campaign to feature two local restaurants each week with regular social media posts and e-blasts and promotions.

June 15 marked the phased re-opening of restaurants in NJ, with prescribed outdoor dining. The town of Hackettstown is working with the Hackettstown Business Improvement District (BID) to help to expand outside dining and business opportunities. In the first phase, a special tented area in the parking lot next to the Hackettstown Firehouse will be created, and will be furnished with picnic tables. The area is designed for use ordering and receiving deliveries from local restaurants with limited outdoor space for dining.

The first two restaurants to be featured in Spotlight on Dining are Mattar's Bistro and Lounge on Route 517, just north of Hackettstown, and Toscana Trattoria Ristorante Italiano on Main Street, Hackettstown.

Mattar's Bistro has been a favorite local institution in the Hackettstown area since 1984. A family owned busines, the menu features modern American cuisine with an emphasis on fresh and local produce. During the pandemic Mattar's has offered take-out and curbside pick up, and recently also added "Family Style Meals to Go". An expanded outdoor dining patio is expected to open soon. The Mattar family is known for their strong support of community events and organizations.

Toscana Trattoria is a family-owned authentic Italian restaurant featuring an all organic, seasonal menu with made-to order ingredients. You will meet the owner, his wife, his daughter and sons - who all work in the business - when you dine at Toscana. The family has had restaurants in the region since 1992 (first in Peapack and then Chester), and opened their most recent Hackettstown location in 2018.

Centenary Stage Company's Artistic Director Carl Wallnau says, "Our restaurant partners in town have been a vital part of our efforts to make Hackettstown a locus of cultural activity in Northwestern New Jersey. The quality and variety of these dining establishments have made Hackettstown a dining destination for the public. This spotlight program is a way for us to shine a light on our partners while encouraging people during this troubled time to support these wonderful establishments who have done so much to support us."

For more information about how to support "Spotlight on Dining" and local restaurants, visit the Hackettstown Rotary Club website at www.hackettstownrotary.org and the Hackettstown BID at www.hackettstownbusiness.org.

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