Jon Bon Jovi’s Pop-Up Soul Kitchen in Toms River Faces Winter Deadline Amid Growing Community Debate
The fate of Jon Bon Jovi’s charity-driven pop-up restaurant in downtown Toms River is again in question as January 2026 approaches. Since February, the temporary JBJ Soul Kitchen has served meals in a former church facility connected to the Ocean County Library, saving hungry residents and sparking political debate.
The pop-up, which looks like a modest café with a few tables and a cozy lounge, has slowly become more than a restaurant. The JBJ Soul Foundation, Bon Jovi’s foundation, offers meals using a unique pay-it-forward approach where diners buy food or volunteer. Since opening, the pop-up has provided thousands of meals, with roughly 70% going to low-income families.
Though kind, the project has clashed with local authorities. Mayor Dan Rodrick has often criticized the idea for bringing unhoused persons downtown and causing disruptions. His government has even removed homeless people from a nearby parking garage and supported ordinances that punish and jail them. The township and nonprofit backers are more at odds due to these policies.
For Soul Kitchen, the stakes are great. The new deal enables them five more months to operate before their permit expires in January, when frigid weather makes food and shelter especially important for vulnerable community members. Without local approval, the restaurant may close during the busiest season.
The nonprofit has touted the project’s non-food achievements. The Toms River pop-up has delivered over 60 housing referrals, hundreds of hygiene kits, and lifesaving naloxone to battle overdoses in recent months. Volunteers and staff underline that the purpose is to assist people find stability and dignity, not just feed them.
Dorothea Bongiovi, who runs the organization with her husband, urges the community to see people and not labels. “Too often, our guests are treated like problems instead of neighbors,” she remarked, emphasizing that the restaurant rebuilds dignity and opportunity for the poor.
The first Soul Kitchen opened in Red Bank in 2011, starting the movement. Another opened in Toms River in 2016, and the library annex pop-up was inaugurated this year as an innovative extension. The latest location’s long-term future is questionable, but advocates say its impact has shown its worth.
Community members await Ocean County officials’ decision to extend or close the project in winter. The Soul Kitchen’s supporters see it as a test of Toms River’s willingness to promote food hunger solutions and compassion. One staff member said this may be the last chance to demonstrate what can happen when a community helps its own.
Sources
NJ Advance Media
Ocean County Library Commission
JBJ Soul Foundation Statements
