Historic NJ hotel goes on 'hiatus.' Could this be its end?

There have been so many sad closings since the economic shambles called The Pandemic arrived. New businesses, ones with brand new, excited young entrepreneurs as their owners have folded. Long standing businesses, deeply rooted in the community for years have not been able to make it. They’re all sad stories. But every once in a while you come across an historic business closing that really feels like a stab in the heart. I’m talking about the Molly Pitcher Inn in Red Bank. According to patch.com, the company announced today that they are going on “hiatus” until the spring.

Encouragingly, the company posted to its social media that they look forward to welcoming customers back in March 2021. And I don’t need mean to sound like a negative Nelly here, but I’ve heard that before from businesses which, after a break trying to recoup their COVID-19 losses, finally decided to just give it up. If that happens to the Molly Pitcher, it will be particularly sad because this business, one of the few independently owned hotels left in the County (or in the state for that matter,) with its restaurant, hotel, and event space is so important to the red Bank landscape.

Opened in 1928, there isn’t a person from the Monmouth County area who isn’t familiar with the Molly Pitcher Inn: its lovingly maintained exterior, its exquisite beauty inside and its gorgeous Navesink River waterfront views. For those who are not familiar with it, Red Bank is a charming riverside town that’s sort of a cultural hub of New Jersey. It’s filled with quaint shore colonials, Victorians, and a thriving downtown with nightlife that attracts people of all ages. The Molly Pitcher Inn is an important part of that downtown. If the beloved Molly Pitcher Inn is unable to re-open in March, it will be one of the biggest losses from the COVID-19 mess that New Jersey has seen so far.

Let’s hope for the best.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi's own.