DeLorenzo’s Pizza, an 86-year-old staple in Hamilton, New Jersey, has closed temporarily as renovations begin to turn the restaurant into a “combination pizzeria-dispensary.”
The longtime pizzeria announced on Facebook that it expects to reopen in late September or early October. Owner Rick DeLorenzo Jr. has said the partnership with a cannabis dispensary will help reduce overhead and allow the restaurant to stay in the same location.
The announcement of a “combination pizzeria-dispensary” sparked confusion among some customers. State law prohibits dispensaries from selling food, and restaurants cannot sell marijuana. Attorney Richard Fornaro, who represents dispensary operator New Jersey Nectar, clarified that the building is being divided into two units with a wall separating them.
On one side will be a 78-seat pizza restaurant, and on the other a dispensary, with the two “connected in spirit” but with some separation for legal purposes.
The plan represents a change from an earlier approval for Vision Cannabis to take over the site. The Hamilton Planning Board gave final approval in May for New Jersey Nectar to operate there instead.
DeLorenzo’s opened in Trenton in 1938 before relocating to Hamilton 12 years ago. It is not affiliated with De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies in Robbinsville or Yardley.
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