The Black Horse Tavern and Pub has been around since the mid-1700s, serving as an inn for travelers passing through Mendham, New Jersey. The tavern side sheltered these travelers and the pub was a barn for their horses. However, the barn was transformed into a pub in the 1980s, but it is still the oldest continually running restaurant in New Jersey. The 40 North Restaurant Group owns the Black Horse, and Divisional Vice President of Operations Kevin Felice used to work at the Black Horse as the Corporate Chef. Running all aspects of food and beverage, Felice has been managing menu content, service, marketing, and all other restaurant features for over 10 years. Although he works closely with the other 40 North Restaurants, Felice notes that the town has a lot of emotion and means a lot to him and many others. The Black Horse has so much history and is a big part of the town, making it a special thing to be a part of.

The Black Horse has been worked on for a long time on an as-needed basis, seeing as the building itself is over 270 years old. Although the roof, siding, and other details have been worked on for the past few years, Felice commented, “The building still needed structural and functional upgrades to make sure that they can do right by guests.” Overall, upgrades are needed to maintain the integrity of the structure. With the building’s age in mind, the renovation process has been what they expected. There are always unexpected things during renovations and one never knows what they’re working with until demolition; however, Felice notes that the issues they have faced have not been a huge surprise.

After the reopening, customers can anticipate the charm of what the Pub has always been, with a slightly more modern and new feel. There will be a strong blend of the charm and history of the centuries of the Black Horse with some modern touches. Although there is no potential reopening date yet, the group hopes to complete the first set of renovations sometime before the end of the year. There are still some key milestones that are yet to be achieved. After the upgrades on the Pub, they hope to jump right into the Tavern as soon as it’s finished. Felice added, “They are excited to bring the next version of the Pub to the town and are looking forward to the years coming, seeing as the Pub has always been meaningful to people.” Many in town miss their local spot and are excited for its reopening.