New Business Chosen to Occupy Former Dunkin’ Donuts, Coffee Shop on Boardwalk

The kiosk at Hamilton Avenue in Seaside Heights, Jan. 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Seaside Heights officials on Wednesday awarded a five-year lease to a new business that was the successful bidder to occupy the borough-owned commercial building on the boardwalk near Hamilton Avenue.

The building, over the last decade, has served as a Dunkin’ Donuts location, the home of a mobster-themed coffee shop known as “Bada Bean,” and most recently, Blue Cup Coffee. Blue Cup then signed a five-year lease with the borough, serving coffee and breakfast foods, but recently declined an option to sign a five-year extension, instead moving permanently to their location in the “food court” area on the southern portion of the boardwalk near the border with Seaside Park.

The successful bidder was Polish Water Ice LLC, which operates multiple locations on boardwalks in several states, including two in Ocean City, four in Wildwood, and two existing locations already in Seaside Heights. The company also operates two stores on the Ocean City, Md. boardwalk and one in Fogelsville, Pa.

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The Dunkin’ Donuts location at Hamilton Avenue on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. (Credit: Thomas Seymour/ Flickr)

Polish water ice is different from its better-known Italian cousin. Polish Water Ice is a creamy soft-serve water ice treat, fat-free and made fresh on-site instead of stored or otherwise frozen.

The company will pay a $45,000 lease fee in 2024; $45,000 in 2025; $46,000 in 2026; $47,000 in 2027; and $48,000 in 2028. Like the previous contract, the current lease includes a five-year extension option, in which case the lease cost would rise by 3 percent each year for five years.