The large Favorites at Gloucester Township off-track betting parlor and Sports Bar is set to close by the end of this year as part of Penn National Gaming’s plans to close the Freehold Raceway Harness Racing Track.
And while there is no silver-lining to a business closing and people being impacted, the large Blackwood-Clementon Road facility with two floors and outdoor bar has been greatly underutilized the last few years. In fact, the large kitchen hasn’t even been operated since before the pandemic, so it makes you wonder… what’s next for the property?
Well for one thing, if you’re looking to make one last visit to Favorites at Gloucester, while they likely will be open for two more months, consider that this Saturday is the Breeders Cup, which is likely the last big racing event that the Blackwood facility will be a part of!
Opened 10 years ago, the Blackwood-Clementon Road facility offered horse racing fans an opportunity to place bets at various horse tracks around the country. This was seen as a big innovation before smartphone app wagers were approved, allowing bets to be placed from anywhere in the State!
Freehold Raceway Closing Means End to “Favorites”
News broke over a month ago of Penn National Gaming deciding to close the North Jersey located Freehold Harness Raceway on December 28th, and they would not be renewing the license for 2025.
And it seems that no one in the Philadelphia area media made the connection to the Blackwood Favorites facility which will also be closing on or before that date. No one, including the “42Freeway Guy”
Well, the North Jersey based Asbury Park Press picked up on the news last month, specifically calling out the closing of the two remaining Favorites locations including Gloucester Township, although their “sister” newspaper the Courier-Post did not cover the local angle of the story.
To explain why Favorites in Blackwood is also closing, in New Jersey “off-track betting parlor” literally means that the offsite location is tied to an existing New Jersey racetrack. For the Blackwood Favorites facility, it is a licensed satellite location of the Freehold Harness Racing Track.
With Freehold Raceway closing and the license not being renewed, it means the end to the Favorites locations in Gloucester Township and Toms River.
Another Favorites location in Vineland had closed a few years ago, and I just so happened to be in the area when that entire building was being demolished (and never published a photo until now).
I stopped in this afternoon at the “Favorites at Gloucester” facility to find that the place has been kept up very nicely with the large bar area and separate side rooms to watch the racing action… still looking in very good shape.
There were maybe 10 customers in Favorites for my quiet Monday afternoon visit. Mostly a Senior crowd who prefer placing their bets at the physical location instead of just betting from anywhere in New Jersey via a smartphone app.
I chatted with a few staff members and customers during my visit (including the guy who designed my home kitchen 10 years ago). All were saddened by the upcoming closing but they all agreed… the large restaurant and bar facility is greatly underutilized.
Could “Favorites” Become a Favorite Destination Again?
Longtime locals will remember when the Blackwood-Clementon Road Favorites was previously home to the Stone Grill, and before that the Diamond Diner.
My family dined at the Stone Grill more than once, where the innovative “angle” to the restaurant was your steak was brought to the table uncooked and you would use a super-heated stone to cook your dinner at the table!
I also remember the Diamond Diner, which back in the 1990s I heard stories of the downstairs banquet area being a local “dance club” hotspot. Those were my young-family years, so I never go to shake my booty in Blackwood!
From what I remember, when Favorites came in they didn’t change much at all about the Stone Grill, leaving the large bar and surrounding comfy booths in place… simply adding televisions, horse track betting machines and a betting window section at the back of the bar area.
Honestly even after 10 years it feels like someone could just go in today and give the place a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, and reopen the space as a traditional restaurant and bar!
So when wondering about could be next for the property, it’s important to note that Penn National Gaming is a tenant of the facility, and the building is still owned by the family who had operated the Stone Grill and Diamond Diner!
Because I’m all over South Jersey and at times making my own luck (ha!), just a few weeks ago I met the owners of White Lightning Investments Chris and Ted at one of their diner properties.
White Lightning Investments is an amazing story on it’s own as in just a 35 year span Chris’ father Bill started with one property… the then closed Lucien’s Tavern in Berlin, and today now own numerous iconic restaurants and catering halls in South Jersey including Lucien’s Manor (Berlin), The Mansion on Main Street (Voorhees), The Marion (Cinnaminson), The Colonial Diner (Woodbury), The New Olga’s Diner (Marlton) , The Hollywood Cafe and Sports Bar (Woodbury Heights)… just to name a few.
And they still own the property and building of Favorites at Gloucester Township!
So this morning I reached out to Chris Kolovos who had given me his number during that earlier meeting, who gave the official response of:
We are actively marketing the property. Any inquiries on the property can be directed to White Lightning Investments.
And to be clear that’s all of the information that Chris offered to me.
But you have to wonder with such extensive restaurant holdings and experience, just maybe the Kolovos family would consider putting on a new coat of paint themselves and…
Links and Location
Favorites at Gloucester Township
1300 Blackwood-Clementon Road
Gloucester Twp NJ