for latest businesses
DeFelice brothers look toward Eatontown
for latest businesses
By sherry conohan
Staff Writer
The DeFelice brothers, (above, l-r) Paul, Bill, Donald, Robert and Tom, are the third generation of their family to work in auto sales. The family is now expanding its business from Shrewsbury into Eatontown with a new BMW dealership, a restaurant and possibly a Fleet dealership. At left, the DeFelices hope to turn the now-closed Brazilian Barbeque, once Rosie O’Grady’s, into an upscale Italian grille. Overflow trucks from the DeFelices’ new truck center in Shrewsbury are presently being stored in the restaurant’s parking lot.
EATONTOWN — With the experience of three generations in the automobile business in Shrewsbury behind them, the DeFelice brothers — Thomas, Robert, Donald and Paul — are expanding into neighboring Eatontown. In the plans are a new BMW dealership, an upscale Italian restaurant, and, maybe a fleet dealership catering to companies that buy vehicles in bulk.
Thomas DeFelice is in the throes of Planning Board hearings on his proposal to build a new BMW dealership on a vacant parcel of land on the south side of Route 36 between Kay Honda and the used-car lot of Bob Ciasulli Toyota. The property fronts on the jughandle across the highway from the state Motor Vehicle Services agency and backs on Parker Road.
Robert, Donald and Paul DeFelice have a contract to purchase the former Brazilian Barbeque property on Route 35, just south of Shrewsbury Avenue, which was formerly home to Jersey Girls, Hannah’s and Rosie O’Grady’s. They plan to bring in an upscale restaurant to replace the now-closed Brazilian Barbeque, lease out the lower level of the building to another business and, possibly operate a fleet dealership catering to taxicab companies and similar bulk buyers of vehicles on the property.
The parking lot for the restaurant is currently filled with trucks, the overflow from the new truck center on Shrewsbury Avenue in Shrewsbury the brothers opened.
The rock on which all the businesses have grown is Circle Chevrolet, at 641 Shrewsbury Ave., in Shrewsbury, founded by the DeFelices’ grandfather, Thomas C. DeFelice. His sons, Thomas J. DeFelice and Edward DeFelice, carried on the family tradition. All have since passed away and now the business is run by Thomas J. DeFelice’s four sons. Robert, Donald and Paul own Circle Chevrolet, which sells Chevrolets, Isuzus and Hyundais, and Thomas owns the BMW agency on Shrewsbury Avenue on property he leases from the other three.
No children from the fourth generation are old enough to be part of the business yet.
Despite the sluggish economy, "our automobile business is going very, very strong," Robert reported. "We have a large clientele that is very loyal to us."
Robert attributed the dealership’s success to the fact "we work the business," a reference to himself and his brothers.
"We’re here every day," he said. "There’s always a family member for the customer to talk to and deal with.
"We learned from our grandfather," he added. "He was a workaholic. My dad was a workaholic and so was his brother."
With such a firm foundation, Robert, Donald and Paul began the expansion by branching out to open a truck center at the old Boro Buses site up the road at 445 Shrewsbury Ave. He said it’s for the Isuzu medium-duty trucks, Chevrolet medium-duty trucks, Chevrolet commercial trucks and servicing fire trucks, other emergency vehicles and school buses.
Robert and Thomas then both set their sights on Eatontown, where Robert is expected to have his operation up and running first.
Robert said he’s lined up two people who will open an upscale Italian grille in the old Brazilian Barbeque/Rosie O’Grady restaurant. He said the two proprietors, one of whom lives locally, have a restaurant in New York City now, which they will continue to run. He said they are aiming for an opening around the first of April. A workman was in the restaurant last week fixing it up.
Robert said he, Donald and Paul are the contract purchasers of the property and expect to close on it by week’s end. Everything is contingent on the liquor license, he explained. He said they were buying it from the Semlor Corp., which held it for the Brazilian Barbeque, and are waiting for approval of the transfer from the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
"We’re hoping all the approvals will be done by the end of the month," he said. "We can’t close without it."
Robert said the people who are leasing the restaurant are experienced in running restaurants in New York. "They know how to make a restaurant work," he said.
Robert observed that the restaurant at that location had a stigma for the last few years because "of what it was and how it was run" and said he and his brothers want to correct that.
Robert said the brothers have three candidates for the downstairs space at the restaurant, and are now waiting to find out whether the liquor license will allow a different use downstairs than the restaurant. He said they also were considering keeping it for use as a fleet dealership.
"We’re just trying to negotiate a correct price and what they want us to do for it," he said of the current three candidates. He noted it’s zoned for a vehicle lease and rental operation.
Robert said that when Thomas builds his new BMW dealership in Eatontown, he and his other brothers will either put a new franchise in the space he vacates on Shrewsbury Avenue or move the Hyundai operation into it.
Thomas, meanwhile, is tied up before the borough Planning Board on his BMW plans. He hopes to have a vote on his application at the board’s meeting of March 10.
Thomas said if he secures Planning Board approval of his application on March 10, he expects to have the BMW dealership open by December.
"According to my builder, it should take eight or nine months to build," he said.
Thomas said he was moving to Route 36 from his present Shrewsbury Avenue location in order to have more space.
"We’ll have 30,000 square feet, and we currently operate with 11,000, so it will triple the size of the facility," he explained.
Thomas’ BMW dealership is one of only two in the county. There is none in Ocean County, and he already draws a lot of business from there and expects to continue to do so.
Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo said he was delighted that the DeFelices were moving into the borough with their businesses. He said he has known the family since he was courting his wife. He explained that the back yard of his wife’s family’s home in Shrewsbury abutted the back yard of the home of the present DeFelices’ grandfather, Thomas, and that the DeFelices had attended their wedding.
"They are a very reputable family and will do well in Eatontown," the mayor said. "I think they will run a first-class operation. They are good business people."
Tarantolo said the restaurant Robert is planning, which does not need approval of either the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment, is in a good location and should do well there.
"I totally endorse it," he said.
Thomas, who has submitted his BMW application to the Planning Board under the name of J.T.V. Associates, LLC, proposes to build a 30,688-square-foot building for the dealership on a 5.5-acre, 242,274-square-foot portion of the 8-plus acre property.
He is seeking a subdivision to cut off and sell the remaining approximately 3-acre parcel on Parker Road.
The 40-foot-high, one-story dealership building would be 85 feet wide by 295 feet deep. As proposed, it would have 343 parking spaces, with 111 spaces for customers and employees and 232 for the display and storage of cars. The cost of the building construction was given as $2,325,000 and the site improvements as $405,000.
The dealership would be called Circle BMW, according to the application.
Robert DeFelice said the family has no further plans for expansion at this time.
"We’re at a steady pace of expanding," he said, "but we’re at a point now that we’re going to slow down now and get everything we have up and working the way we want — get it up to 100 percent — then maybe we’ll look at more."