Jersey Kebab is moving to downtown Collingswood
The Haddon Township Turkish restaurant is moving a mile down the street after its landlord declined to renew the family owners' lease.
Jersey Kebab — the Haddon Township restaurant that made headlines earlier this year after its owners were arrested, and eventually released, by ICE — is moving.
On Sunday, Muhammed Emanet and his parents, Celal and Emine, will close their small Turkish restaurant, where colorful sweets line the display case up front and platters of kebabs sizzle in the back. It’s the second time this year the business has shuttered.
This time, the restaurant will relocate just a mile down the street, to 729 Haddon Ave., in Collingswood. The family hopes to reopen by the second week of November.
The Emanet family hadn’t planned to relocate until recently, after their lease expired on their current space at 150 Haddon Ave.
According to Muhammed, the Emanets’ landlord informed the family he was not interested in renewing the contract at the end of their five-year lease in August. The landlord suggested using his apartment upstairs to expand the restaurant — if the family agreed to a 50/50 split in the business, Muhammed told The Inquirer.
The Emanets’ landlord could not immediately be reached for comment.
“As soon as [the landlord] said that, it sent us into a frenzy where we had to hurry up and figure out where we’re going to move to,” Muhammed said. The family paid to use the Haddon Avenue storefront for two more months and began looking for a new space elsewhere.
Muhammed and his father, Celal, supplement their earnings from Jersey Kebab by running a delivery business that transports Del Buono’s Bakery’s bread to other South Jersey diners and restaurants, including Stardust Cafe, the current occupant of 729 Haddon Ave.
Stardust’s owners, Jerry Goksun and Jennifer Vincent, recently transformed the long-lived, retro-themed Pop Shop diner into a more modern all-day eatery. The couple opened the restaurant in July, but upon hearing that the Emanets were searching for a new home for Jersey Kebab, offered the space on Collingswood’s main shopping street. (Goksun and Vincent did not immediately respond to The Inquirer’s request for comment.)
The Emanet family plans to move into the restaurant as is, adding Turkish decor and music to replicate the ambiance of their former space. The restaurant’s menu will expand beyond platters of iskender, adana, and shish kebabs. New items planned include a traditional Turkish breakfast spread (think homemade jams, cheeses, bread, and omelets) and Turkish ice cream made with goat’s milk.
Celal and Emine Emanet were detained by ICE in February, forcing the restaurant to close. The couple emigrated legally to the United States from Turkey in 2008 but fell out of status when their visas expired. In 2016, they applied for legal permanent residency and have been awaiting the government’s decision on their application since.
Celal was released a few days after his initial arrest, but Emine was held in an immigrant detention center in Elizabeth, N.J., for a little over two weeks. The South Jersey community lobbied for her release, writing letters, holding rallies, and raising funds. Emine was released in mid-March, and when the restaurant reopened later that month, it was flooded with well-wishers and neighbors.
The couple has been navigating deportation proceedings since March. Celal’s first deportation hearing took place in May, with another set for March 2026. Emine’s first hearing was scheduled for this month but was recently postponed to 2027.
Given their situation, Muhammed’s parents have not had time to process the change in their business, he said.
“They aren’t even really thinking about it — they’re just pushing through it,“ Muhammed said. ”My mom is trying to see how she’s gonna decorate the entire place. My dad is trying to get all the paperwork done. I’m trying to get all the people hired and the management worked on. So, everybody just locked in.“
Despite the challenges, what keeps the Emanet family going is being “God-believing, God-fearing people,” Muhammed said. “It doesn’t really matter what we go through — we know our faith is going to lead us exactly where we need to be anyway."
And Haddon Avenue is a prime location for the restaurant’s loyal clientele, he said. “Jersey Kebab in Collingswood is a big turning point for us, for our name and legacy to grow.”