Under common ownership, the Melting Pot also shared a liquor license with Taste, its next-door neighbor at the Galleria. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Four months after its next-door neighbor, Taste restaurant, closed amid a failure to renew its liquor license, Red Bank’s Melting Pot  restaurant followed suit Monday, announcing its closing on Facebook.

“While there are no confirmed plans to re-open this location, The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc., hopes to open a new location in the area in the future,” the post read.

According to a comment from the franchisor, the restaurant “closed due to compliance issues to their franchise agreement.”

Ken Kruse, who owed both Taste and the Melting Pot, located in the Galleria complex on Bridge Avenue, told redbankgreen in July that Taste closed because it “had some issues which the accountant and state had to work out” over taxes. The Melting Pot had remained open as a BYOB. 

Borough Clerk Pam Borghi said at the time that the license had not been renewed pending payment of the $2,500 renewal fee and “obtaining tax clearance from the state Division of Taxation.”

Kruse did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.