Government

Two Restaurants Approved for Brick TGI Fridays Building, Including BBQ Chain

by
Daniel Nee
August 28, 2025

A rendering of the future “Mission BBQ” restaurant in the space formerly occupied by TGI Friday’s in Brick Township, Aug. 2025. (Planning Document)

Brick Township’s planning board has approved an application by the owner of the longtime home of now-closed TGI Friday’s restaurant to open two new establishments in its place.

The board approved the application by Mission BBQ Brick LLC to open a Mission BBQ restaurant within the 7,537 square foot restaurant located at the intersection of Route 70 and Chambers Bridge Road. Half of the existing building will house the barbecue restaurant while the remaining half will provide space for another restaurant that has yet to be named.

Renovations of existing building normally do not require planning board hearings, however the Mission BBQ application included a proposal to add an exterior enclosure and fence for outdoor dining, as well as the preparation of food outside. The small addition created a technicality in which previous variances over lot lines in the shopping plaza had to be ratified, and the new application was considered an expansion of those variances.

Mission BBQ’s proposal for the site also included an expansion of the parking area, landscape alterations, the addition of a flagpole, plus new signage and facade renovations.

A rendering of the future “Mission BBQ” restaurant in the space formerly occupied by TGI Friday’s in Brick Township, Aug. 2025. (Planning Document)

The building was originally constructed as a “Mr. Steak” restaurant, and was later home to a bar and grill known as The Office until TGI Friday’s moved in and remained in business for two decades.

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 establishments located 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 a portion of its proceeds to various veterans and support organizations.

Mission BBQ (Credit: Mission BBQ/ Facebook)

The chain serves brisket, pulled pork, ribs and other twists on southern cuisine. It also offers various sausages with southern spices, turkey dishes, salmon and pulled chicken, along with macaroni and cheese, beans and collard greens.

The shopping center surrounding the former TGI Friday’s restaurant has gone through several changes in recent years, including the closure of the Bed Bath and Beyond store that once co-anchored the plaza along with Best Buy and West Marine. The portion that housed Bed Bath and Beyond is now home to a Ross, an off-price clothing retailer that opened in late July. Ross operates 1,795 stores in 43 U.S. states and territories.