By Kenny Walter
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH- Beachgoers will be able to enjoy a hot dog, hamburger and soda this summer as the city has awarded a contract for concession operations.
During the Feb. 23 Council meeting, the council awarded a three-yard contract for $33,000 per year to Park Eats, LLC to operate the concession stands being built along the newly contracted Long Branch boardwalk.
“We checked them out, they have operated concessions in Brick and with some others,” Business Administrator Howard Woolley Jr. said. “Everybody gave them pretty solid reviews, so we think we got a good operator down there.
“It is $12,000 more than we thought we were going to get and my concern was that we get a solid operator.”
According to Woolley, 16 companies picked up bids, with eight or nine of them taking tours of the facilities. However, he said only two companies formally submitted bids to operate the concessions.
“We don’t have a gas line down there and some of your existing restauranteurs have gas line systems and they didn’t want to go out and buy new equipment,” Woolley said.
Under the contract, Park Eats must stay open each day when the city’s beaches are open and do not have the option to close when the city’s beaches are open. However, Woolley said they do have the option to remain open even when the city beaches are closed.
“If we’re closed and they choose to close, they can do so. In the past those people want to stay open longer hours and more days,” he said. “They can open before Memorial Day and stay open past Labor Day and we have no problem with that.”
Long Branch has 16 beaches: Seaview Avenue, Great Lawn, Madison Avenue, Laird Street, Chelsea Avenue, Melrose Terrace, Morris Avenue, Pavilion Avenue, North Bath Avenue, South Bath Avenue, Matilda Terrace, Cottage Place, West End, Brighton Avenue, New Court and Takanassee. Beach season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The two concessions stands at West End Avenue and North Bath Avenue will have full cooking stations and the concession stand north of Cottage Place will not initially have a kitchen set up for cooking.
