TOMS RIVER – Don’t forget the sauce, or should we say, sauces! The Ocean County Mall’s restaurant lineup is set to trade Caribbean fare for chicken sandwiches after township planners approved a Chick-fil-A at the former Bahama Breeze property.
The vacant building near Hooper and Bay avenues will be demolished to accommodate the new restaurant and a drive-through lane. The Toms River Planning Board approved the plans Oct. 7.
The decision answers a question that sparked hundreds of responses from Jersey Shore Online readers over the summer: What should take Bahama Breeze’s place?
A July 18 Facebook post seeking suggestions drew more than 500 comments. Readers proposed everything from The Cheesecake Factory and Cracker Barrel to an Apple Store and an indoor water park. Waffle House, Pizza Hut and a homeless shelter were also among the ideas.
Bahama Breeze closed the location in May 2025, leaving the restaurant building vacant along the mall’s perimeter.
Chick-fil-A will join a wave of planned commercial additions in the surrounding area. Cava, Just Salad, Paris Baguette and Tommy’s Tavern + Tap are among the other eateries slated to open. Sprouts Farmers Market is being developed across Hooper Avenue as the anchor tenant of Bey Lea Plaza.
The chicken chain already operates Ocean County restaurants in Brick and Stafford, along with several locations in neighboring Monmouth County.
Headquartered in College Park, Georgia, Chick-fil-A operates restaurants across 48 states, as well as in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
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