New owners for The Office Restaurant & Lounge in Toms River
Esperto Hospitality Group, a Holmdel-based company with four restaurants in Monmouth County and a fifth opening later this year, is the new owner of The Office Restaurant & Lounge in Toms River.
The group, comprised of founder John DiLeo; his brother and vice president Anthony DiLeo; and culinary director Jonathan Rice took ownership of the 50-year-old restaurant in January.
Esperto also owns Catezza Italian Kitchen & Bar, formerly Catch 19; Cafe Pari and the former Centrada Cocina & Cocktails, all in Red Bank; Covo Italian Steakhouse, formerly Il Nido, in Marlboro; and Local House Kitchen & Bar, formerly Woody's Ocean Grille, in Tinton Falls. They will open the first New Jersey location of chicken chain Daddy's Chicken Shack in Tinton Falls in June, director of operations Tony Ruccio said.
The group's plans for The Office include cosmetic upgrades — a new bartop, remodeled bathrooms and some new dining room furniture — along with some menu changes, including the addition of a "state-of-the-art" pizza oven, Ruccio said.
The Office Restaurant & Lounge in Toms River, New Jersey, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
"Other than that, the plan is to keep it going as the mainstay of the community (that) it is," he said. "We want to keep Office Lounge as the pillar of the community (it has been) for 50 years."
There are no plans to close for renovations or rename the restaurant, which is still led by longtime employee and general manager Nicholas Pagano.
"The Office," as it is known, at the corner of Route 37 and Main Street was opened in 1975 by the late Phil Citta. For nearly 20 years prior, it was a bar and liquor store known as Toms River Hub.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to [email protected], follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to her weekly newsletter.
