intersection near
defunct pancake house
Bank will improve
intersection near
defunct pancake house
BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer
OLD BRIDGE — When Jose Henriquez first read the handwritten sign posted on the front door of Laura’s Family Restaurant announcing it had closed, his heart sank.
And not just because he could not get any more of the eatery’s celebrated pancakes.
Hoping to impress out-of-town relatives with Laura’s homestyle food and atmosphere, Henriquez and his wife, Meredith, had taken their guests to the restaurant at Route 9 and Perrine Road for breakfast last month.
The parking lot of the sunken restaurant was empty. A mystified Henriquez then read the sign.
"To our valued customer: It is sad to say that we have sold Laura’s. Our last day of business is going to be Sunday, May 16, 2004. We want to thank you for your continued patronage. Sincerely, John and staff."
"I was devastated that this thing that I considered so valuable is gone," said Henriquez, who for the last couple years had frequented Laura’s, often bringing along family and friends.
A Commerce Bank branch, approved by the township’s Planning Board on Feb. 3, will eventually replace the building of the former restaurant.
The board granted preliminary and final site plan approval to Interstate Development Services, LLC, of Mount Laurel, to construct the 3,649-square-foot, one-story bank building on the nearly 1-acre site of Laura’s.
The restaurant will be demolished to allow for the new construction on the sunken lot that will be made level with the ground around it, according to building plans submitted by Kenderian-Zilinski, a Wall Township planning and engineering firm that designed the site plan.
In addition, an existing septic system that served Laura’s will be taken out to be replaced by city water and sewer service provided by the Old Bridge Municipal Utilities Authority.
The Weichert, Realtors office located just north of the site and now using a septic system will also be hooked into the OBMUA water and sewer lines during the construction, plans state.
Interstate Development Services has also agreed to reconfigure the intersection of Route 9 and Perrine Road as part of the overall construction.
Engineering reports on file in the township’s planning office indicate that Perrine Road will be widened from its intersection with the state highway to a point past the shopping center housing Lowe’s Home Improvement and other stores.
A severe slope where drivers enter Perrine Road from Route 9 will be leveled out, according to Russell Azzarello, executive director of the township’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The improvements planned by the developer should help relieve hazardous conditions at the intersection, Azzarello noted.
Presently, motorists trying to enter Lowe’s or any of the other businesses near the intersection must exercise extreme caution when entering and exiting, he explained.
"[The improvements] will make it safer to enter [the buildings] from Route 9," Azzarello said.
A freestanding sign visible from Route 9 will be constructed at the site, which will be accessible from both the state highway and Perrine Road, according to the design plans.
The bank will have walk-in service and four drive-up lanes.
Laura’s was formerly owned by Old Bridge Pancake, which has an address in care of Fisher Bros. in New York City, according to records in the township tax assessor’s office.
A woman who answered the phone at the Fisher Bros. office declined to give any information about the closed restaurant. When asked if another employee could answer questions about Old Bridge Pancake, the employee declined to forward the call.
Laura’s closing marks the end of an era, noted Henriquez, who first discovered the restaurant after moving to Matawan from Woodbridge two years ago.
"Once I was there the first time, they had a customer permanently," he said.
Replacing a restaurant that had a "nice mom-and-pop feel" with a corporate-owned bank is not unusual in the current business climate, Henriquez said.
"It’s a sign of the times that there are so many banks around, but it’s still a sad time."
Taking guests from outside the area to Laura’s for breakfast was a treat for both Henriquez and his wife.
"We’d take them [to Laura’s], and they’d rave about the banana pancakes or chocolate chip pancakes," he said. "It’s amazing how quickly we became regulars there."
The servers also seemed to enjoy interacting with customers, who ranged from families with young children to senior citizens, Henriquez continued.
"You’d see huge families with multiple generations there," he said. "The employees would put the tables together for them."
Henriquez said he and others he knows in Old Bridge and surrounding towns will miss Laura’s.
"As I see different people in the community who I know and tell them about Laura’s closing, they’re just shocked," he said. "It’s really a surprise."