Government

Seaside Heights Breakfast Spot Demolished As Preparations for New Development Begin

by
Daniel Nee
May 9, 2024

The ‘Just Breakfast’ restaurant in Seaside Heights under demolition. (Photo: Catherine Galioto/Shorebeat)

A popular breakfast eatery in Seaside Heights met the bucket of an excavator on Wednesday, as the establishment came under demolition in preparation for the construction of a townhome development.

Situated along Ocean Terrace at Webster Avenue, the “Just Breakfast” restaurant was a local favorite for years among visitors to the borough. The 2,600 square foot restaurant – under various names and businesses – dated back to its construction in 1937. Last August, the borough’s planning board voted to approve a 10-unit townhome development to replace the restaurant and an empty lot that has remained undeveloped for the better part of a century, representatives for the developer said.

The empty lot has long been operated as a dirt-and-gravel commercial parking lot.

“The property dates back to the 1930s,” said project engineer Matthew Wilder, during testimony on the matter. “Generally, what you see on this property is what you’ve seen for 70 years on this property. And you can tell it’s been that way for 70 years.”

A new townhome community approved for Ocean Terrace and Webster Avenue, Seaside Heights, N.J. (Credit: MODE Architects)

Just Breakfast, and its as-yet-undeveloped neighbor, will be replaced by the townhomes, all of which will be tall enough to include ocean views. A height variance was one of the issues debated at last year’s planning board meeting, with officials and the developer ultimately agreeing to a compromise that would allow the buildings to stand 50-feet tall if they were moved slightly in order to preserve the sightlines of a nearby condominium complex, known as the Royal Sands.

The community itself will comprise four legal lots, two of which consist of the parking lot and two which front Ocean Terrace and house the Just Breakfast restaurant and a small number of residential units above. The condominiums would be built on what is now considered 14-24 Webster Avenue, though the proposed address for the new community would be 501 Ocean Terrace.

The ‘Just Breakfast’ restaurant in Seaside Heights under demolition. (Photo: Catherine Galioto/Shorebeat)

The ‘Just Breakfast’ restaurant in Seaside Heights. (Credit: TripAdvisor)

Project engineer Matthew Wilder, at the time, said the project would include additional green space, and plants that will grow in a seven-foot setback buffer between the buildings and Ocean Terrace.

The properties are being brokered by Mike Loundy of Seaside Realty.

“We are very excited about what this brings to that area of town with beautiful, large townhouse style units with ocean views,” Loundy said when the project was approved. “It really cleans up that area. We just want to continue to the progress we started after Hurricane Sandy, and we feel this is an integral part of this.”

Editor’s Note: Seaside Realty is a Shorebeat sponsor. For more information, contact Mike Loundy at 732-330-6651 or MikeLoundy@aol.com.