Chick-fil-A is that much closer to replacing The Fireplace in Paramus
When The Fireplace, a beloved family-friendly institution on Route 17 in Paramus, permanently closed last year, it was rumored that Chick-fil-A will replace the 65-year-old restaurant.
That rumor is now closer to becoming fact.
On June 22, the borough's Planning Board is scheduled to take up the national fast-food's application for site approval. If the application is approved, Chick-fil-A will be then able to get the building permits required from the Building Department.
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If approved, this would be the fourth Chick-fil-A in the borough: there are two existing locations — one in Garden State Plaza, another in Paramus Park — and a third to be built in Stop & Shop's approved renovation project on Route 17, along with Taco Bell and Applebee's.
The Fireplace owns the building and property and is leasing it to Chick-fil-A, said Patrick Reilly, who took over running the restaurant from his father, Frank. He opened it in 1956 as a small, no-frills burger and hot dog spot.
"Time marches on," said Reilly, when asked how he feels about Chick-fil-A replacing his family's restaurant. "They are a good business."
Asked if he might open another restaurant like The Fireplace, Reilly said, "Not at this point. The environment (due to COVID-19) is not good for independent restaurants now. If it were a different environment, it could be a possibility. You can never say never."
When The Fireplace, which barely changed over its six and a half decades, announced that it was closing its doors this past July, hundreds of fans waited on line for a final taste of its bestselling thinly sliced-steak sandwiches, thick roast beef sandwiches, its pizza and, of course, its famous burgers and pickles that customers would help themselves to at the "pickle bar."
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There were even tears shed. "I've been crying all day long," one fan told The Record then. "I can't believe I'm actually crying over a burger place."
The Fireplace wasn't just any burger place. It was a place where time nearly stood still — a spot filled with nostalgia for so many in North Jersey who'd visit it with their families after Sunday afternoon rides, after high-school football games, to woo their teenage love, or celebrate their birthdays or 50th anniversary.
If the plan is approved, a family-run restaurant will be replaced by a corporation that operates more than 2,700 restaurants, each serving the same fried chicken sandwiches.
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Esther Davidowitz is the food editor for NorthJersey.com. For more on where to dine and drink, please subscribe today and sign up for our North Jersey Eats newsletter.
Email: davidowitz@northjersey.com
Twitter: @estherdavido
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Chick-fil-A may replace The Fireplace in Paramus, NJ
