Government

Farewell, Fridays: Brick Restaurant Slated for Replacement With Growing Chain

by
Daniel Nee
July 7, 2025

Mission BBQ (Credit: Mission BBQ/ Facebook)

A longtime staple of Brick Township’s commercial center – the now-shuttered TGI Fridays restaurant at Route 70 an Chambers Bridge Road – would be reconstructed to house a new, growing chain under a proposal set for a hearing before the township’s planning board. The project would also leave room for another tenant at the property.

Mission BBQ, serving items such as brisket, pulled pork, ribs and some other twists of southern cuisine, would move into the space at 705 Route 70 following the “reconstruction” of the TGI Fridays restaurant. An interior partition would allow for a portion of the building to be used by another business which has not yet been determined. The property is located within the B-3 Highway Development zone, which allows for a multitude of business uses.

Fridays closed in Brick in May 2024 after operating at the location for 26 years. The restaurant was built in 1998 as the shopping plaza around it moved on from its former anchor tenant, Rickel Home Center. Having launched to a good degree of fanfare, the overall property attracted Best Buy, Bed Bad and Beyond, and a newly-built east coast flagship store for West Marine. Bed Bath and Beyond closed in 2023.

Mission BBQ (Credit: Mission BBQ/ Facebook)

Mission BBQ, based in Glen Burnie, Md., operates 142 restaurants across the country, including four in New Jersey (Deptford, Marlton, Hamilton, Sicklerville), with most of its locations on the east coast or midwest. It opened Sept. 11, 2011 – on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks – with a stated mission of donating some of its proceeds to various veterans and support organizations.

In addition to the typical barbecue fare, Mission BBQ also offers various sausages with southern spices, turkey dishes, salmon and pulled chicken, along with macaroni and cheese, beans and collard greens.

Mission BBQ requires a hearing before the planning board to update its site plan and, largely, to reaffirm variances that were granted in the 1990s due to the shape of the lot and the layout of the shopping center. The hearing will be held July 30, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the township municipal complex.