BRIDGEWATER – DIG, the New York City-based eatery offering meals cooked from scratch, has opened its first New Jersey location at The Village at Bridgewater Commons.

The restaurant’s name is more than just a reference to "digging in," but is rooted in home cooking and nostalgia, said Jessica Serrano, DIG vice president of marketing.

"DIG is really about scratch cooking. Each location is chef-operated, and we have great relationships with our farm partners, which is how we're able to keep a seasonally relevant menu. So, the menu changes every season," Serrano said.

DIG’s customization aspect is a big draw for many patrons.

"The vast majority of our customers enjoy the customization aspect, but for those who are looking for something, who get nervous and just want to choose something that's already pre-composed, we have a Classic DIG, which features our charred chicken, as well as sweet potatoes, broccoli and brown rice. That's a really popular dish" Serrano said.

Every location's menu differs, but among the offerings:

• Organic Crispy Tofu Club: Tofu with smashed avocado, farm greens, and pickled peppers on house-made focaccia.

• Charred Chicken Club: Charred chicken with smashed avocado, farm greens, and pickled peppers on house-made focacci.

• Hot Honey Chicken: Glazed charred chicken, sheet tray carrots, charred broccoli with lemon, Jasper Hill mac and cheese, with maple honey sriracha on the side.

• Desserts: Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip, a spiced oat cookie with raisins and chocolate chips, and Flourless Brownie, a fudgy chocolate sweet potato brownie.

While other DIG locations are still in their winter menu, with their spring menus launching in April, DIG in Bridgewater is a little ahead of the game. It decided to open with a sneak peak of the spring menu with Herb Marinated Cannellini Beans side dish, featuring white cannellini beans, diced celery, pickled onions, in a gremolata herb sauce; and the Crunchy Radish & Lettuce side, consisting of romaine hearts, radish wedges, cucumber, celery, pepperoncini, fresh spring herbs with creamy ranch dressing.

DIG was attracted to Bridgewater for a variety of reasons.

"Having looked at different locations in the area, Bridgewater seemed to be an area that really matched up in terms of where we know our customers most enjoy our product," Serrano said. "It's a beautiful location there in The Village, so both just from a real estate standpoint as well as a demographic standpoint, it seemed to make a lot of sense as our first move."

The first 100 guests at the grand opening received free tote bags with Spindrift sodas. As part of its commitment to serving its community in multiple ways, DIG is donating the proceeds from its first day of walk-in sales to the Raritan Food Pantry, which was selected by the local chefs.

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Troy Fischer, senior general manager of the Bridgewater Commons, was excited about DIG’s arrival.

"It's always an interesting opportunity for things that kind of start or materialize in the city, and then the number of people in the area that commute into the city or have had experiences with getting familiar with that brand in New York City, and then to have it come out here, there was a lot of excitement to be able to have something that accessible they previously had to go into the city for.," Fischer said.

DIG is at The Village at Bridgewater Commons, 610 Commons Way 4310. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 202-567-3316. View the menu for the Bridgewater location at /order.diginn.com/menu/bridgewater-commons.

Those interested in job opportunities with DIG can visit diginn.com/careers. The Bridgewater roles are listed at boards.greenhouse.io/digrestaurants/jobs/4935108.

Brad Wadlow is a staff writer for MyCentralJersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: DIG NJ location opens at The Village at Bridgewater Commons