By Victoria Hurley-Schubert, Staff Writer
PJ’s Pancake House in Princeton has partnered with a South Brunswick restaurateur to grow and develop its lunch and dinner business.
”We are partners with the current owners to build on the legacy of it,” said John Procaccini, one of the new partners.
Mr. Procaccini also is an owner of the Princeton Sports Bar and Grille on Nassau Street and Osteria Procaccini in Kingston with his brother, Tino.
”The bottom line is PJ’s is not changing; It’s going to be the same menu it always was.”
The deal, a joint venture with the Tuchman family, becomes official on Aug. 1.
Herb Tuchman, the original co-owner and manager, passed away in November. His brother and co-owner, Martin Tuchman, has been running the restaurant since then and will remain involved.
In addition to owning PJ’s, Martin Tuchman is the vice president of Mercerville-based First Choice Bank and president of Princeton International Properties, a real estate company that owns buildings in the Princeton area, including the one that houses Osteria Procaccini, said Arieh Feigenbaum, Mr. Tuchman’s cousin and vice president of PJ’s Pancake House.
Mr. Tuchman also serves on board of directors of SeaCube Container Leasing Ltd. and Polytechnic Institute of New York University’s Enterprise Learning board of directors.
”They realized they’ve never been in the restaurant industry and they wanted to partner with people who have been in the business,” said Mr. Procaccini. “We’re going to build on it.”
”We are going on with the same PJ’s, the same family is going to own it,” said Mr. Feigenbaum. “We made a joint venture with the Procaccini family and had success with another property and we want to go on with the success and bring the success of the Osteria to PJ’s.”
”We’re not changing anything, we are just adding items,” said Mr. Feigenbaum.
The Procaccini brothers, who have almost 15 years experience in the restaurant business, will be adding a bistro lunch and dinner menu with more Italian influences, with pastas and salads that feature local produce.
But the pancakes that made PJ’s legendary will remain on the menu.
”For what PJ’s is known for will remain the same,” said Mr. Procaccini. “We are just going to build their lunch and dinner business.”
PJ’s menu currently features burgers and hot and cold sandwiches in addition to their legendary breakfasts of pancakes, eggs and omelets.
Even the butcher-block tables with all the names carved in them are not changing.
The Procaccinis know the Tuchmans because the latter family is their landlord in Kingston, which is how the families met.
PJ’s has been a Princeton institution since 1962.
Last month, Martin Tuchman was awarded the 2011 Business Achievement Award from Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Honor Society, serving business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, according to PJ’s website.
