TOMS RIVER – Turning Point, the breakfast, brunch and lunch spot, is preparing to open its new restaurant at Ocean County Mall, the company’s 21st location.
“Right now we are shooting for mid to late August,” owner Kirk Ruoff told What’s Going There on Wednesday. “We are feverishly trying to hire workers and train them.”
The new restaurant, which will seat 120 inside and 40 outside, is part of Ocean County Mall’s new lifestyle center, a grouping of stores and restaurants built on what was once the mall’s old Sears wing.
Besides Turning Point, mall owner Simon says P.F. Chang’s China Bistro is expected to start construction soon on the restaurant’s first Ocean County location. They will join Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea, which opened last year, and BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse.
Earlier: P.F. Chang’s coming to Ocean County Mall, one of several new restaurants
Turning Point’s nearest restaurant is on Route 70 in Brick, its busiest location.
“It was a natural fit,” said Ruoff of the new Ocean County Mall restaurant. “We had been looking for a number of years in the Toms River area and the expansion of the Ocean County Mall project really appealed to us.”
Also: Mystic Lobster Roll Company coming to Ocean County Mall
The restaurant has received a lot of interest, from inquiries on its website to customers who stop by, Ruoff said. “We have great visibility in the shopping center.”
The restaurants are part of a renovation at the mall that began after Sears closed in 2018. Simon demolished the vacant Sears store and built a lifestyle center, including a remodeled mall entrance.
Besides the restaurants, LA Fitness has signed on and opened. Shoppers can now go to home decor retailer Homesense, discount store Five Below and Ulta Beauty.
David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years. He writes APP.com’s What’s Going There and Press on Your Side columns and can be reached at [email protected]. Join his What’s Going There page on Facebook for updates.
Source: Asbury Park