NJ strip mall in a vicious food fight over the right to serve Italian food

MIDDLETOWN — Two eateries just three doors apart in the same strip mall are in a heated feud with no end in sight.

Luigi's Famous Pizza has accused Tatum's Table, its neighbor in the Lincroft Grove, of violating the terms of their shared lease by serving Italian cuisine as part of their new dinner menu.

Luigi's says that, as part of their lease, they reserve the exclusive right to certain Italian meals.

The spat began around a month ago when Tatum's Table announced on social media that it would be serving dinner with a special Valentine's Day menu. Previously, they operated exclusively as a breakfast, brunch, and lunch establishment. The announcement teased various pasta dishes, which prompted Luigi's to contact their landlord.

Jason Emerson, who owns Luigi's with his wife Kelly, told NJ Advance Media that the proposed dinner offerings were all Italian, which would not pass muster under the terms of the lease.

Tatum Menake, owner of Tatum's Table, told NJ Advance Media she did not think that was the case, and that Luigi's was attempting to end her fledgling eatery (which opened in September of last year).

The disagreement quickly manifested into legal action. A Superior Court judge in Monmouth County last month sided with Luigi's, preventing Tatum's Table from serving food after 4 p.m.

But the animosity between the two restaurants has never been limited to the courtroom. Facebook was the first battleground, with Menake and Kelly Emerson taking shots at each other's restaurants in various posts, accusing each other of bullying and being in the wrong.

But the latest wrinkle in the saga is a new lawsuit by Luigi's owners that accuses Menake's father of digitally and verbally threatening to put Luigi's out of business. A hearing is slated for March 24, according to the Asbury Park Press.