Madison's Central+Main Temporarily Closing Due To Money Issues

MADISON, NJ — This has been a difficult year for restaurants, even for accomplished chefs such as Leia Gaccione. Her Madison restaurant — Central+Main American Eatery — will temporarily close because of financial difficulties associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Gaccione announced via the restaurant's Instagram page that the restaurant will temporarily close after New Year's Eve. The eatery won't reopen "until the next round of government funding comes out."

The restaurant remains open this week for takeout, indoor dining and New Year's Eve catering.

"It’s not a decision that comes lightly," Gaccione said. "It’s a little emotional, to be honest. We’re just worried about the livelihood of our staff and the livelihood of our business. So we all decided together that this would be the best move."

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Gaccione's accomplishments include serving as executive chef and chef de cuisine for Bobby Flay. She also owns the South+Pine American Eatery in Morristown. A career in kitchens can make one ready for anything, but the pandemic has made this the most difficult year for her restaurants.

Central+Main hopes to reopen by February. In the meantime, Gaccione set up a GoFundMe for the restaurant. And they hope customers continue to support them through New Year's Eve.

"We want to celebrate this year ending, because it was the worst," she said.

Watch the video below:

New Jersey restaurants can currently operate at 25 percent indoor capacity, but they can only offer takeout and outdoor dining from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. With outdoor dining less feasible during the colder months, New Jersey's coronavirus restrictions have put restaurants in difficult positions.

The toll on businesses has moved Gov. Phil Murphy to admonish Congress for coming up somewhat empty on the federal stimulus bill. He said the lack of federal funds is one of the big reasons why he's not planning on additional shutdown measures in the near future. Read more: Many NJ Restaurants 'On The Brink Of Closing' Amid COVID-19

President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion coronavirus relief package Monday. While Congress tinkers with details, such as possibly increasing payments to eligible individuals from $600 to $2,000, the current bill sets aside $285 billion for small businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program.

The state Department of Health reported 106 new cases Monday in Morris County, bringing the area to 19,625 cases, 770 confirmed deaths and 175 probable deaths since the pandemic began.

Thanks for reading. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to josh.bakan@patch.com.

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store. You can also follow the Madison Patch Facebook page.