EDISON – It will be foodies delight as new eateries will soon make their way into the township – two at the Menlo Park Mall and two at the Edison Towne Square.
Simon, a global company focused on shopping, dining, entertainment and mixed-use destinations, announced on Nov. 21 that Shake Shack and True Food Kitchen will open at Menlo Park Mall in late 2020 and early 2021, respectively, according to a release.
The restaurants will be located outside the mall and will join the dining offerings at Menlo Park Mall consisting of more than 30 eateries.
“Shake Shack and True Food Kitchen are exciting new additions to our impressive dining offering at Menlo Park Mall,” said Robert Edelen, manager at Menlo Park Mall. “We are happy to continue to be Central Jersey’s go-to family shopping, dining and entertainment destination.”
Shake Shack, which will now have eight locations in New Jersey, is a modern day “roadside” burger stand serving up burgers, hot dogs, frozen custard and shakes. The Edison location follows the opening of a Shake Shack in May at the Monmouth Travel Plaza in Wall and August at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown.
True Food Kitchen, which opened its first New Jersey location in July at The Shoppes at Riverside in Hackensack, is a restaurant with a health-driven menu of seasonal dishes and natural beverages guided by the principles of founder Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid, according to the statement.
Edison Towne Square
More than a decade ago, a $1.2 million lifestyle center was envisioned for the 98-acre site, formerly the Ford Motor Company site on Route 1.
In 2006, Hartz Mountain Industries proposed to develop the site and called for a hotel, a movie theater, restaurants, office space and a bank.
Since 2010, when a 152,000-square-foot Sam’s Club membership warehouse and gas station opened, businesses have been coming to the site, including Topgolf, which is an entertainment and event venue with point-scoring golf games, Starbucks and Zinburger Wine and Burger Bar. Construction of Chipotle, iFly Indoor Skydiving venue and a LA Fitness gym are on the horizon.
Now Chick-fil-A and Tommy’s Tavern and Tap will join the growing site. The Planning Board approved the Chick-fil-A at a meeting on Oct. 15 and approved the Tommy’s Tavern and Tap at a meeting on Nov. 18
John Martinez, development manager for Chick-fil-A, said they have been looking for many years to add a free standing location outside of their current location inside the Menlo Park Mall.
Tommy’s Tavern and Tap in Edison will be the restaurant’s fourth location, with other locations in Sea Bright and Freehold Township. Board members and the applicant discussed concerns about noise emanating from the rooftop bar citing the noise troubles they dealt with at Topgolf and the surrounding neighborhoods. The board set conditions to stop live music at 10 p.m.
Board member John Soltesz said sound attenuation comes down to enforcement noting noise fines are up to $2,000. He said Edison lacks locations like Tommy’s Tavern and Tap, which is owned and operated by Thomas Bonfiglio and his family. He said the board should not base their decision on what could happen.
Timothy Selcov, director of operations for Tommy’s Tavern and Tap, said their goal is not to create a concert venue out of the proposed rooftop bar on the restaurant, but a place for people to hang out with their friends after work, catch up with other colleagues and enjoy some live music. He noted the capacity of the rooftop is 100 people and it will remain open from May to early October, weather permitting, and will close during the winter.
