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The restaurant located in the Forked River section of Lacey Township has been cited eight times since early June, state police and health officials said.
Lakeside Diner reopened indoor and outdoor dining for breakfast on Friday despite Ocean County sheriff's officers and Lacey Township police attempting to change the diner's locks and a state order banning indoor dining as reported by NJ Advance Media here.
Owner Brian Brindisi told Patch last month that the diner allows limited indoor dining when outdoor tables are fully booked. He said his diner is taking safety precautions.
Lakeside Diner was ordered to stop allowing indoor dining by the Commissioner of the Department of Health Judy Persichilli. Her July 31 order cited four COVID-19 violations on June 5, July 1, July 24 and July 28.
Two more violations of Gov. Phil Murphy's executive order banning indoor dining occurred this week, State Police Col. Pat Callahan said at a coronavirus briefing on Wednesday.
The state has the option of filing civil and criminal charges and even locking down the diner, state officials have said.
Despite repeated violations, the diner can remain open for outdoor dining and take out, the health department says.
Outdoor dining resumed on June 15, after all dining was barred in mid-March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Indoor dining was due to resume on July 2, but Murphy postponed that reopening.
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