Dave's Hot Chicken and other new restaurants, fitness center coming to Freehold Township

Dave’s Hot Chicken and other new restaurants, fitness center coming to Freehold Township

Posted by author October 4, 2024 Fitness

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FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Several new retail buildings at Freehold Marketplace will bring restaurants, including Dave’s Hot Chicken, and a fitness club to the Walmart-anchored shopping center on West Main Street.

Site Centers, the property’s owner, recently won approval from the township Planning Board to build three retail buildings totaling 34,607 square feet containing fast-casual restaurants with drive-thru windows, retail space and a Planet Fitness fitness center.

Planning Board documents don’t name the restaurants, but Dave’s Hot Chicken and Just Salad have confirmed they’re coming to Freehold Marketplace.

In a statement to What’s Going There, Dave’s Hot Chicken said it hopes to open in a 2,368-square-foot space in the second quarter of 2025.

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Just Salad said it hopes to open its restaurant in early 2026. “Just Salad is excited to bring its mission of everyday health and sustainability to the Freehold Township community,” a spokesperson said.

According to documents and plans filed with the township, here’s what is expected:

A 5,035-square-foot building will have two tenant spaces consisting of Just Salad, which also will have a drive-thru lane, and a 2,500-square-foot fast-casual hamburger restaurant.
A 9,672-square-foot retail building with four tenants: Dave’s Hot Chicken, a 1,606-square-foot bakery, a 2,368-square-foot retail store and a fast-casual 2,550-square-foot Chinese restaurant with a drive-up window.
Planet Fitness will occupy the third building, a 20,000-square-foot space.

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Both Dave’s Hot Chicken and Just Salad have begun to make inroads into Monmouth County. Dave’s Hot Chicken, the popular Los Angeles-based chain known for its Nashville-style hot chicken tenders and sliders, opened a restaurant at Seaview Square shopping center in December 2023.

Just Salad opened at the Brook 36 shopping center on Route 35 in Wall in January and has a restaurant on Route 35 in Shrewsbury expected to open later this year.

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business, retail, real estate and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for 27 years. He writes APP.com’s What’s Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Please sign up for his weekly newsletter and join his What’s Going There page on Facebook for updates.