TOMS RIVER – Construction has been underway to renovate the former TGI Friday’s restaurant on Hooper Avenue into Tommy’s Tavern and Tap.
The family-owned restaurant chain boasts locations in Sea Bright, Freehold, Clifton, Bridgewater, Edison, Princeton, Morris Plains, Mt. Laurel, Cherry Hill, Edgewater, and Sea Girt. There are also locations in Newark, Delaware; Staten Island, New York; and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
The website advertises different menus for different times of the year and offers burgers, sandwiches, salads, regular and gourmet pizza, sushi and more. There’s a football menu, and the website announces that it is a proud partner of the New York Giants. There are beer, wine, and cocktail menus as well. Catering and special events are available.
The construction going on at the location appears to be mostly cosmetic, as no major changes were proposed at the site.
According to a change of commercial tenant form provided by the Toms River Zoning department, the 6,963-square-foot unit has 200 seats and 92 parking spots.
The hours of operation, according to the zoning paperwork, would be Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., as well as Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
The application was filled out by Tommy’s Toms River, LLC which had a PO Box in Staten Island.
Triple T Hospitality Group is owned by the Bonfiglio family. There does not seem to be any connection to the Tommy’s Restaurant that used to be in downtown Toms River. An attempt to contact the owner was not returned.
The owner of the property, located at 1277 Hooper Avenue, is Maridan Enterprises. It’s president, Donato D’Onofrio, reported to the township that they have a lease agreement with Tommy’s for 20 years.
