Joe Pesce Closed for the Summer...or Longer?

Since Memorial Day, if you've headed down Haddon Avenue in the area of Collingwood's seafood restaurant Joe Pesce, all that's been there to greet you is a darkened storefront and a "Closed" sign.

As reported by Inquirer food blogger Michael Klein last week, owner Joe Tucker has been focused on "Catch," his Longport, NJ restaurant, which required extensive rehabilitation after Hurricane Sandy.

But he's also got the property listed for sale or lease, which has muddied things a bit for patrons.

When Patch reached Tucker for comment Wednesday, he said, "at this point in time we’re just testing the waters.

"We didn’t know whether to sell it or open back up in September under a different concept," he said. "We have a couple concepts that we might do."

Tucker said that closing for the summer in Collingswood has been something he's done for three of the six years he's owned Joe Pesce. 

"Usually it’s July 4 through Labor day; this year we did Memorial Day through Labor Day," he said.

Although "my heart’s still in Collingswood," Tucker said, not only is he "extremely busy" with Catch, but his family will relocate to Florida next year, which means some changeover could be in the works. 

"[Catch] got destroyed by Sandy last year, so this season is trying to catch up," Tucker said. "The whole place was gutted and rebuilt." 

Tucker did promise that whatever the outcome by summer's end, he will make sure that customers with outstanding gift certificates are taken care of.

"I love Collingswood," he said. "Whatever I do, whether it’s me or the next person, they’ll absolutely be able to go there [with] any credit card, gift certificate.

"Whatever I do, my customers will be taken care of," Tucker said. "We’re always worried about our clientele."