Congressman Kean Holds Roundtable with Local Restaurant and Hospitality Business Owners

(August 22, 2025) SOMERVILLE, NJ - Congressman Tom Kean, Jr. (NJ-07) held a roundtable discussion yesterday at Verve Restaurant in partnership with the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospital Association (NJRHA). The event brought together local restaurant operators and hospitality business owners from across New Jersey's Seventh District to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the industry, as well as the impact of newly enacted provisions in the recent Reconciliation package.

"Our district is home to some of the best restaurants and hospitality businesses in the region. These employers not only cultivate memorable experiences, but they also create jobs and drive economic growth in our state," said Congressman Kean. "Today's roundtable was an important opportunity to gather insights from local business owners and discuss how we can continue to support their success. I was encouraged to hear how new measures like No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and targeted business tax relief are helping workers, supporting growth, and building a stronger economic future for our communities."

"The roundtable provided an important forum to connect our industry with Congressman Kean, ensuring that the voices of New Jersey's hospitality professionals are heard at the federal level," said New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association President and CEO Daniel Klim.

"With passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, there are really three key components that will help the restaurant industry in New Jersey," said Keith Holmes, owner of the St. Moritz Grill & Bar in Sparta. "First, the no tax on overtime helps our chefs and kitchen staff, since they're the ones earning overtime. Second, eliminating taxes on tips directly benefits servers. And finally, the Social Security piece helps seniors-when they have more money in their pockets, they're more likely to dine out at restaurants."

H.R.1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Delivers for New Jersey's Restaurant and Hospitality Industry:

• No tax on tips. This provision establishes a $25,000 deduction for qualified tips, eliminating income tax on tipped income for over 4 million tipped workers.

• No tax on overtime. This provision will allow workers to keep more of their earnings by establishing a $12,500 deduction for overtime pay. On average, Americans will receive up to $1,400 more from no tax on overtime per year. Around 21% of all employees in New Jersey regularly work overtime and could benefit from the no tax on overtime provision.

• Increased deduction for seniors. This provision provides a $6,000 increase in the deduction for taxpayers 65 years and older.

• 20% small business deduction.This permanent tax break encourages job creation and growth among small and mid-sized businesses, which are the backbone of the restaurant and hospitality sector.

• Full expensing for qualified business property. This provision permanently extends the allowance for immediate, 100% depreciation deductions for qualified business property.

• Doubles the small business expensing limit. This raises the limit to $2.5 million, enabling hospitality businesses to invest more in their operations.

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