Byline:  Lindsey Kelleher

Stop by Joe Zone on an evening this summer to catch a Yankees game or a Mets game.

Watch the Olympics. Women’s soccer, tennis golf: you name it because just about every sport will be on at the Joe Zone. 

In the fall, football will be on. Go there to watch an NFL or college game.

And if you have a fantasy team, invite your friends, pull a table or two together, and talk about your team. 

At Joe Zone, it is all about sports all the time.

Everything resembles an athlete, a ball field, or a track at the sports café, which had its grand opening in July.

The café will function as a coffee shop with breakfast food in the morning. The afternoon menu starts at 11

a.m. and the evening menu starts at 3 p.m., and will have wings, wraps, burgers, sandwiches, flatbreads, and other pub fare.

Don’t forget to try one of the non-alcoholic specialty drinks, created by Cedar Grove Middle School students Max and Sebastian such as Shark Attack or Cotton Candy. Shark Attack is a blue raspberry lemonade garnished with a gummy shark and red sugar. The Cotton Candy drink is made with milk and cotton candy syrup. For those with less of a sweet tooth, Joe Zone features Razzle Dazzle Refreshers which include Cucumber Mint, Elderflower, Zero-Calorie Raspberry and Peach, Mint NO-jito, Strawberry and Lavender.

Joe Zone does not serve or permit alcohol because its mission is to promote a family-friendly atmosphere.  

Once you place your order, you’ll be walking along a colorful racetrack from the starting point which is the order counter to the finish line which is the pickup counter. 

Even the bathrooms are sports-themed with one decorated to look like a swimming pool with a diffused fragrance that smells like cool water.

The second bathroom is designed like a golf course and has a diffused fragrance that smells like freshly cut grass.

The idea was to create a fun hangout spot for everyone that focuses on sports since most people have played sports, watched sports, or been influenced by sports at some point throughout their lives, according to Joe Zone President Donna D. Marki.

“There will be a super-energetic atmosphere and great hospitality,” Marki said. “People will be able to feel the energy.”

Marki, who was an attorney in Morristown, and Tom Maoli, a serial entrepreneur, spearheaded the idea because of the impact that sports have had on just about everyone.

Maoli said everywhere he went, people would start the day talking about sports, whether it was online at a coffee shop as he waited for his morning coffee or at his office. While in the global logistics business, Maoli flew to California for an important meeting with Cisco executives and waited almost an hour for his meeting to start, as no one could stop speaking about the latest games, trades, and come from behind wins.
“That stuck with me,” he said. He wanted to build a business where everyone can share that passion while sharing something great to drink and eat.

Some other features at Joe Zone include tickers with up to the minute scores for that day’s professional games and events with celebrity athletes, past and present.

There will be a Joe Zone Hall of Fame, where Athletes and non-athletes from the area will be nominated by their family, coaches, or peers on a bi-weekly basis to be in the Joe Zone Hall of Fame. Hall of Famers will be primarily from area schools

and club teams, but do not necessarily have to be athletes. They can be nominated if they have done something notable. 

For example, the Hall of Famer could be the athlete who showed up for every practice and gave 110 percent but did not get the same amount of playing time as the stars on the team did but could be nominated for being an integral part of the team. Another example is that person who did a heroic act or something else amazing in the community – and it is not just for the young superstars! Hall of Famers will be presented with their own Joe Zone Jersey that you can’t buy; it can only be earned.

Joe Zone is located at 450 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove, NJ 07009.