NJ strip mall rivals both win in legal food fight

A judge has made their decision known in the culinary clash between Luigi's Famous Pizza and Tatum's Table in Lincroft.

Superior Court Judge Mara Zazzali-Hogan ruled Monday that the Lincroft Grove landlord has to enforce a lease provision stipulating that Luigi's retains exclusive rights to serve specific Italian dishes. But Judge Zazzali-Hogan also said she was unable to restrict Tatum's ability to serve dinner.

Zazzali-Hogan noted that by enforcing the food-related proviso of Luigi's lease, she was "not disrupting Tatum's business" in its current form.

Luigi's made the case earlier this year that a special dinner menu from their strip mall neighbor, which included Italian cuisine, was infringing on their business. The judge found that some items on that menu were in violation of the lease, but not all of them. The ruling was a win for Luigi's in terms of preserving their hold on Italian food, but a win for Tatum's in securing their right to operate as a dinner restaurant.

Now, the attorney for Tatum's Table said he is in talks with the Lincroft Grove landlord's attorney, hoping to come to an agreement that would let his client add dinner to its trademark breakfast and lunch operations while not serving the prohibited dishes.

The outcome of the ruling was first reported by the Asbury Park Press.

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