FREEHOLD — Ice cream, burgers, fries and other popular fare will continue to be dished out at Jersey Freeze for a while longer.
Bruce Blackmore, who owns the popular ice cream stand and restaurant at Route 9 and Manalapan Avenue, said a deal to bring an Olive Garden restaurant to that location has fallen through.
The plan called for Jersey Freeze to be closed this year and demolished to make way for the Italian restaurant.
The Jersey Freeze property is in Freehold Borough and Freehold Township.
“We lost them,” Blackmore said of the Olive Garden. “The finances for the project were withdrawn and the Chesapeake Companies, the Olive Garden and Jersey Freeze ended up parting ways due to the economy.”
The plan that had been in the works for several years was halted when a bank which was expected to occupy the site with the Olive Garden withdrew its commitment, he said.
“Olive Garden still wanted in, but it seemed all of a sudden the deal wouldn’t fly without both the restaurant and the bank. Chesapeake Companies were feeling less than confident about the rest of the plan, especially in these tough economic times, so Chesapeake withdrew from Jersey Freeze,” Blackmore said. “I got zinged. This is the second chain to pull out.”
Although the Olive Garden will not be coming to the Jersey Freeze property, it may still find a home in the area. An informal review of a possible application for the Olive Garden on Route 537 in Freehold Township was held at the March 19 meeting of the Freehold Township Planning Board.
Attorney Gerald Sonnenblick attended the meeting with representatives of Darden Restaurants, which owns the Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse.
Longhorn Steakhouse has a restaurant on Route 537 at Wal-Mart Drive. Sonnenblick said Darden Restaurants is exploring the possibility of building an Olive Garden next to the steakhouse. He noted that the property had previously been approved for a Golden Corral restaurant.
Sonnenblick discussed a new design for the Olive Garden which he said has been in the making for several years. He said the goal is to make the restaurant look “100 percent Tuscany.”
“The idea was to address key items we felt were important to portray that we are an authentic Italian restaurant with reasonable prices, and we have been successful,” Sonnenblick said, displaying renderings of the building and requesting feedback from the board.
Board members generally liked the building’s design, but offered comments about the signs.
Chairman Robert McGirr said there was “too much color,” citing the colorful fruit on the Olive Garden’s illuminated sign. He said Freehold Township is trying to work on “softer,” more conservative looking signs for buildings.
Sonnenblick said although the sign is the Olive Garden’s logo, the applicant would work with some modifications. He said he would return with a formal plan for the restaurant.
As for Jersey Freeze, Blackmore said he is taking the time to “regroup and rethink.”
“We have been looking to see who’s interested and there has been phenomenal interest,” Blackmore said, adding that “no one has actually committed to a new deal. It’s a tough economy. No one wants to step up to the plate right now, but we are actively pursuing other options and are talking to new people about the restaurant (idea).
“The economy has affected everyone,” he said, adding that this has been a difficult winter for Jersey Freeze. “Ice cream is an easy item to kick off your plate. No matter what happens, we still have a lot of work to do again.”
While Blackmore is going back to the drawing board, residents and visitors to Freehold will still have the opportunity to indulge in those sweet delicious desserts — for at least a bit longer.

