Moorestown BYOB Al Dente closes
The owners had feared that liquor licenses offered only at Moorestown Mall would create an unlevel playing field.
In November 2011, voters in dry Moorestown Township approved a referendum that allowed the sale of liquor licenses to restaurants located within "an indoor shopping mall."
The only "indoor shopping mall" in town is Moorestown Mall. It was mall operator Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust that initiated the referendum.
In 2012, the operators of Al Dente - a family-friendly Italian BYOB that opened in early 2011 just across the road from the mall in East Gate shopping center - were upset at the move. Their attorney contended that such a restriction created an unlevel playing field.
The licenses eventually drew the eateries Osteria, Distrito, Firebirds, Harvest, and the forthcoming Yard House to the mall, raising about $6 milliion for the township.
Al Dente closed about two weeks ago.
Owners did not reply to requests for comment.