Member Portal

Welcome to the Metuchen Downtown Alliance Member Portal. Learn about upcoming events & ways to participate along with important information about programming, storefront design and grants & other helpful information to help your business succeed.

Please contact the Executive Board or our Executive Director (Dawn Mackey) with any questions or concerns.

Borough Updates

Borough Clerk – Deborah Zupan

500 Main Street

Metuchen, NJ 08840

732-632-8508

Email: dzupan@metuchen.com

Message from Borough Clerk:
–2024 Annual Restaurant Renewal License; submit completed forms to Borough Clerk by January 31st 2024 to avoid penalties
-2024 Temporary Food License Application; submit completed forms to Borough Clerk at least 3 weeks prior to date needed

Ribbon Cutting

Congratulations on your new business in the Metuchen Downtown Alliance! Please contact us to schedule your ribbon cutting.

Ribbon Cutting Guidelines

• Eligible entities are Metuchen-based, new businesses located in the district or an out of district business who becomes an affiliate MDA member.
• The MDA does not perform ribbon cuttings for Borough, local or state government, religious, or civic committees, commissions, organizations, etc.
• Ribbon cuttings are for a new business opening.
• The ribbon cutting must be done within 6 months of opening the business. 
• The MDA will help the business coordinate availability with Borough officials and provide ceremonial scissors, ribbon and event photography.

Sustain & Serve NJ Grant (No Longer Active)

Eligibility Requirements for Restaurants

• 50 or fewer employees (based on the restaurant’s most recently filed WR-30 with NJDOL)
• A physical commercial location in New Jersey
• Legal registration to do business in New Jersey as evidenced by a valid New Jersey Business Registration Certificate
• Good standing with the New Jersey Department of Labor and New Jersey Division of Taxation
• Good standing with the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (where applicable)
• Valid certification from municipal or county government inspection showing a current rating of Satisfactory per the New Jersey Retail Food Establishment Rating system
• Restaurants must have been negatively impacted as a result of COVID-19
• Were in operation on June 4, 2021

What is Sustain & Serve NJ (“SSNJ”)?

How can my food business participate?

How can I find an approved food business?

Which non-profits have been awarded grants in phase 3 (announced July 2022)?

I am interested and a food business, where can I submit forms?

Meet the Merchant

If you would like to submit a request for the MDA to do a profile of a business owner please fill out the questions on the below link. We will use the answers to the questions to either do a social media post with images highlighting a business owner, or a video interview with an owner.  [Questionnaire Link]

Promotions for Metuchen Downtown Alliance Full Members

Eligible promotions are restricted for MDA full member businesses and MDA sponsored events only. Pop-up merchants, sub-contractors, sub-vendors, program displays & marketing, consignment merchants within full member businesses are not eligible for MDA promotions, website, marketing or social media advertising. Please contact us at info@downtownmetuchen.org with any questions.

Storefront Grant

This form is to assist applicants in the Metuchen Downtown District with storefront improvement projects.
As an applicant you must receive approvals from the MDA, Code Enforcement official and Borough before starting work. Once the application is approved, work is complete and all contractors are paid, you will receive reimbursement for half of the project costs up to a maximum of $5,000 per business per year. MDA has the right to reject any project that it deems not to meet the goals of the program at its sole discretion or to limit the funding to any or all projects in order to provide assistance to the maximum number of applicants.

Storefront Grant Application Form