What to Know
- Bon Jovi’s restaurant in New Jersey offered a free meal to furloughed workers on Monday
- JBJ Soul Kitchen, which is owned by Dorothea and Bon Jovi, teamed up with the Murphy Family Foundation to offer the meal
- About 800,000 federal employees have been furloughed or working without pay since the shutdown began on Dec. 22
Bon Jovi’s restaurant in New Jersey served free meals to furloughed workers on Monday, as the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history continued.
JBJ Soul Kitchen, a “community restaurant” in Red Bank owned by Dorothea and Bon Jovi, teamed up with the Murphy Family Foundation to offer the meal.
Many furloughed workers came from miles away for lunch. EPA pollution official Kathleen Foley was among the diners who took part in the meal.
“I’m hoping to… maybe meet some other federal employees, and commiserate, or just feel like a family. We’re all here together,” Foley told News 4.
Another diner, who is married to a Coast Guardsman who isn’t getting paid during the shutdown, brought her three kids with her to the restaurant.
“That’s why I’m here in 7 degree weather with three children,” she explained.
Local
The Soul Kitchen, which Bon Jovi and his wife opened in 2011, normally lets patrons pay a suggested donation or volunteer at the restaurant to pay for meals, according to its website.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who runs the Murphy Family Foundation along with his wife Tammy Murphy, told News 4 he felt Monday’s lunch was “a great ‘it takes a village’ moment.”
About 800,000 federal employees have been furloughed or working without pay since the shutdown began on Dec. 22.
