Booze is on the ballot in Collingswood.
Voters in the Camden County borough will decide this election whether to end a ban on alcohol sales that has been in place since 1935, joining a growing number of New Jersey communities reconsidering long-standing restrictions.
Moorestown began lifting its ban through a voter referendum in 2011. Other towns followed, including Pitman, Rutherford and Haddon Heights. Of 564 New Jersey municipalities, about 30 remain dry, according to some estimates.
Booze on the Ballot, a group of Collingswood residents advocating for the change, collected more than 1,000 signatures to put the question before voters. The campaign says it is funded by “just your friends and neighbors,” not corporate restaurant chains, breweries, or outside political interests.
“Allowing local options ensures our town remains a primary destination for evening dining and walkable nightlife, keeping local tax dollars working right here at home,” the group says on its website. “Beverage sales offer crucial margin stability that helps our favorite neighborhood spots stay open and sustainable without passing costs onto diners.”
Collingswood, a borough of about 14,400 people, has transformed its downtown in recent years into a destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. If the ballot measure is approved, up to four liquor licenses could become available. If rejected, the question can’t return to the ballot for five years.
The borough would have authority to regulate where licensed establishments could be located and the hours that alcohol could be sold. It also would need to establish a process for awarding the licenses.
The vote comes as New Jersey’s restaurant industry faces rising costs for ingredients, labor and utilities. More than 200 restaurants have closed in New Jersey this year, according to RestaurantData.
New Jersey has more than 20,000 restaurants, and the industry is the third-largest private employer in the state, according to the National Restaurant Association. Nine in 10 restaurants are small businesses.
Amanda Stone, vice president of public affairs for the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association, said the group favors allowing towns to determine whether alcohol sales are best for their communities.
“Restaurants have thin profit margins, so anything that helps boost their sales is worth looking at,” Stone said. “More revenue means they can hire more people, bring more people into town, more tourism. It’s big picture.”
Some dry towns, like Haddonfield, have taken advantage of state-issued manufacturing licenses to allow breweries, distilleries and wineries. Others have BYOB restaurants that allow diners to bring their own beer or wine.
There have been efforts at the state level to help the restaurant industry. A law recently signed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill gives restaurants and other eligible businesses more flexibility to sell and deliver alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption. The law makes permanent rules first established during the COVID-19 pandemic. Another provision allows craft distillery license holders to sell and deliver their products for off-premises consumption under select conditions.
Stone said the association recognizes that alcohol sales are not the right fit for every establishment.
“Every restaurant has what works for them. Some do want a license. Some want to stay BYO. Some don’t want to go near it at all,” she said.
