By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
What goes around, comes around.
For more than 30 years until about seven years ago the lot on the corner of Router 206 and Oxford Place was the home of Briken’s Dairy, a favorite summertime ice cream stop.
Now, Hillsborough residents Bill and Lori Malamut propose to use the same site for a similar purpose a Stewart’s Root Beer stand.
Mr. Malamut, a township resident for 19 years, said he and his wife used to take their four boys there for ice cream. Now it’s possible they’ll all be working there at some point, especially in the busy summertime.
Mr. Malamut said he expects to submit building plans to township officials next week. He plans a 1950s retro look amidst the Stewart’s iconic orange, brown and white colors when the restaurant opens, hopefully by April 1, but by May 1 at the latest, he said.
Famous for its root beer and ice cream floats, the Stewart’s menu will feature the expected burgers and hot dogs as well as salads and wraps, Mr. Malamut said. He hopes to attract birthday parties, too, he said.
”Briken’s was a place for families to go on a summer night, wait in that long line on the boardwalk and meet talk with people from town,” wrote Claudia Damiano-Travers in a letter to the Beacon in February 2011. “We all loved Briken’s; it had the best ice cream . . . I have fond memories of my daughter’s softball team going to Briken’s for ice cream after a long game.”
The site was proposed for a retro look and feel as a Sonic restaurant in 2010. Neighbors objected strenuously, contending the 1.5-acre lot was too small and the carport, lighting, noise and activity too intense for a lot at the entrance to a residential neighborhood. Sonic withdrew its application in March 2011.
The site has been vacant for about three years. Its last use was as a karate center.
Mr. Malamut owns another business, Premier Fire Assistance, in the township on Eileen Court behind the Hillsborough Cinema.
Other nearby Stewart’s are on Route 22 in Lebanon and on Route 202 south of Flemington.
