Hungry students at Rutgers-Newark having trouble affording food can now find refuge at the latest “community restaurant” launched by Jon Bon Jovi.
The New Jersey-bred rock star and his wife stood alongside their longtime friend and neighbor, Gov. Phil Murphy, on Wednesday to unveil the new JBJ Soul Kitchen at the college’s Paul Robeson Campus Center.
The Bon Jovis have opened similar non-profit, pay-what-you-can restaurants in Red Bank and Toms River. The Rutgers-Newark location is the first at a college campus.
There are no prices on the menu. Instead, students, faculty, and residents who can afford it are encouraged to make a suggested $12 donation for a three-course, locally sourced meal using cash, credit card, or university dining dollar credits. They’re also encouraged to “pay it forward” by making an additional donation that will go toward meals for the needy.
Those who can’t afford it can volunteer at the restaurant or elsewhere on campus to cover the cost of their food.
“Dignity and respect are always on the menu regardless of socio-economic status,” Dorothea Bongiovi, the musician’s wife and creator of the restaurants’ concept, said during the opening ceremony. “Students have enough to worry about. Worrying about where their next meal will come from should not be on the list.”
Officials say statistics show one in three students attending a four-year college in the U.S. struggle with hunger, and more than 50 percent of Rutgers-Newark students have significant financial need.
The restaurant — a collaboration with Gourmet Dining, which supplies food at at the school — officially opens to the public Thursday.
The menu includes BBQ pulled beef, short ribs, maple-roasted chicken, coffee, desserts, and more. There will also be Halal, Kosher, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Rock star Jon Bon Jovi opens up his new JBJ Soul Kitchen community restaurant at Rutgers-Newark on Wednesday. Along the wall is Gov. Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy (right).Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media
Bon Jovi said the two previous Soul Kitchen locations have served more than 100,000 meals last year.
The Sayreville native said it’s possible this college model could be used at other schools across the state and nation.
“We’ll see how this one goes,” he said.
Gov. Phil Murphy speaks alongside Jon Bon Jovi and wife Dorothea Bongiovi on Wednesday.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media
Murphy said there are many “talented, hard-working students” in New Jersey “struggling to make ends meet.”
“And that means they may be going hungry,” the Democratic governor added. “As we all know, it can be difficult to ask for help, even from family.”
But this restaurant, he said, will help. Murphy said the work the Bon Jovis have done to “combat food insecurity in New Jersey has made a difference in so many people’s lives.”
“Your friendship cannot be overstated,” said the governor, who has lived near the couple on the Navesink River in Middletown for years — though Bon Jovi recently put his mansion on the market.
Rutgers-Newark Chancellor Nancy Cantor, stressed that “what makes all the difference is that our students know that this is not a stigma.”
“This is an empowerment,” Cantor said. “This is a recognition of the reality of what it means to be a first-generation student, what it means to be a low-income student.”
While at the school, Bon Jovi also weighed in on one of the state’s most heated debates: Does Central Jersey exist?
Yes, it does, he told the state’s infamous Twitter account.
“I’m proof that it exists,” Bon Jovi said.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.
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