Johnathon’s Grille will become a bank.
By: Leon Tovey
JAMESBURG After years as a center of nightlife in the borough, Johnathon’s Grille will be closing its doors for good at the end of the year.
Johnathon Frycz, owner of the venerable East Railroad Avenue bar and restaurant, said Monday that he had agreed to sell the building to investor George Bloomberg of Tinton Falls for an undisclosed sum.
"I want to spend more time with my kids," Mr. Frycz said. "This is a tough business, a seven-day-a-week thing, and I’ve got two small children at home I want to spend more time with."
Mr. Frycz said he did not know what plans Mr. Bloomberg had for the property, but the Borough Land Use Board on Dec. 8 unanimously approved a preliminary site plan for a 4,304-square-foot Chase Bank to be built on the 1.55-acre parcel.
The plan calls for the 60-plus-year-old building that currently houses the restaurant to be demolished and a new, single-story bank to be built. The new bank would have a drive-through teller, a drive-up ATM and will employ eight people.
The application requests one variance for the number of parking spaces. Borough land use law would require 48, but the applicant wants to create 36.
The plan also calls for the conversion of the three-way traffic signal at the intersection of East Railroad Avenue and Forsgate Drive into a four-way signal, with the fourth leg exiting the proposed bank’s parking lot. Because both East Railroad Avenue and Forsgate Drive are county roads, the plan would require county approval.
Councilman John Longo, a member of the Land Use Board, said Monday that, with the exception of the parking variance, the application conformed to borough land use law and fits in with the character of the existing business district.
Still, he predicted it would be awhile before the applicant returned to seek final approval.
"They’ve got a lot of things to work out with the county," Mr. Longo said. "The traffic signal will be a big issue."
Rumors have circulated for months that Mr. Frycz planned to sell the property, which he has owned since 1995. In June, a posting on the Jamesburg Network, a Web site operated by honorary Borough Historian Tom Bodall, claimed that the restaurant had been sold and that a bank was to be built there.
Mr. Frycz said at the time that he was considering selling, but hadn’t yet. He said Monday that he plans to keep the restaurant’s liquor license and was considering opening another, smaller establishment in the area in the future.
"I sort of fell into (Johnathon’s)," Mr. Frycz said, recalling how he came by the restaurant in the mid ’90s. At the time, he was tired of the daily commute to New York City, where he worked in banking; he said he wanted to find something that would allow him to be closer to his family.
"I was looking for more of an investment opportunity," he said. "But I found this and I really liked it and before you know it, 10 years have gone by.
"I always enjoyed people," he continued. "And that’s been the best part of this. My customers are good people it’s become more than just a business."
In honor of the regular customers who have made the past decade so enjoyable, Mr. Frycz said he will hold a customer appreciation night Dec. 28, starting at 7 p.m. Free food will be provided and discounts on drinks will be available.

