MIDDLETOWN - Starbucks is taking over the former Boston Market restaurant, bringing a new café with a drive-up to Route 35.

Construction fencing has gone up at the stand-alone 3,100-square-foot building at the Middletown Marketplace shopping center. Township officials have said Starbucks is converting the space.

"I am very excited that construction has begun on the old Boston Market, transforming it into a new use," Middletown Mayor Tony Perry told What's Going There. "It is always a win for everybody when you are able to convert an existing building into something new."

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Boston Market closed in April 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The shopping center's owner, Middletown Shopping Center I LLP, filed a lawsuit in January against Boston Market, claiming the restaurant chain had missed $131,228 in rent and real estate taxes beginning in March 2020.

Middletown Marketplace is anchored by Bed Bath & Beyond, Applebees and Livotis.

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Perry said the new Starbucks will supply jobs and goods. "The economic impact of just one Starbucks on a community is nothing to turn away," he said.

"We are very excited to see what was an empty storefront turn into something that we know will have patrons lining the streets for."

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for more than 20 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Starbucks café with drive-up replacing Boston Market in Middletown NJ