Where's Waffle House? Bojangles? Whataburger? Chain restaurants missing at Jersey Shore

Crumbl Cookies. Dave's Hot Chicken. Miller's Ale House.

More and more big restaurant chains are choosing to open new locations around Monmouth and Ocean counties, bringing their restaurant concepts to the Jersey Shore for the first time.

Dave's Hot Chicken franchisee Noraiz Khan chose Seaview Square shopping center in Ocean Township for the L.A.-based chain's first Central Jersey location. It was, he told What's Going There last month, the "perfect spot."

Pass the hot sauce.

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What's Going There has put together an informal list of restaurants that we'd like to see come to the Jersey Shore for the first time. We hope executives are listening.

But what does it take to get a restaurant chain to move into New Jersey?

Chain restaurants are attracted to the state's wealth and its crowded population. "Retailers do well here," said Gregg Medvin, executive vice president at Pierson Commercial, a retail real estate brokerage in Marlboro. "Money is spent here and their numbers reflect that."

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What does it take for a restaurant to actually make the move, and enter a market for the first time?

It can come down to location, said Chuck Lanyard, president of the Goldstein Group, a Paramus retail brokerage.

A corner spot on a major highway with a traffic signal is good for easy access. For a cafe, it may be important to be on the side of the road where people are driving to work. A fast food place with a drive-thru might look for a location on the side of the highway busiest on the drive home.

"It enhances your opportunity to do the business because you are being seen," Lanyard said. "You are not only being seen, but you are really in a convenient location."

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New entrants can't afford to make any mistakes. Restaurants have substantial upfront costs and need to earn a quick return through sales, Medvin said.

"If you are entering the market, most retailers are going to stick to 'I need an A-plus site in an A-plus market,’" he said. "There is a lot of money they put in to their locations. They have to choose the right location so it does not fail."

Why might a hot restaurant brand stay away? Maybe there's too much competition; they can't find the right site or they were out-positioned by a competitor, Medvin said. In some cases, a restaurant company might not have found a franchisee to operate restaurants in the region.

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California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen is no stranger to New Jersey. The restaurant chain, known for its California-style pizza, has locations at Bridgewater Commons, Short Hills Mall and Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, but no locations at Monmouth and Ocean counties' three regional malls.

California Pizza Kitchen touts its Original BBQ Chicken Pizza and other chicken pizzas as well as burgers, soups and salads.

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Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen

The closest Cheddar's is in Camden, Delaware. It features steak, bbq ribs, and country fried steak as well as chicken dishes like dijon chicken and mushrooms, lemon pepper chicken and chicken pot pie.

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Dave and Buster's

Dave and Buster's, the sports bar and arcade, has locations in Woodbridge, Wayne and Gloucester, along with plans to open in Atlantic City by the end of this year, but nothing in Monmouth or Ocean counties. It has a wide menu including burgers, chicken, salads and appetizers such as chicken wings, pretzel dogs and Creole shrimp dip. And, of course, all those arcade games.

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Waffle House

Waffle House, the king of roadside food spots. Would they come to New Jersey, where the diner reigns supreme?

We reached out to Waffle House corporate in Norcross, Georgia. The response wasn’t very promising. ”Waffle House currently does not have any immediate plans to open a location in New Jersey,” a spokesperson said. He sent our inquiry to the company’s real estate team.

“But we never say never, so you never know what will happen in the future,” he said.

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Golden Corral

Golden Corral, which is known for its ”endless” breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet, is no stranger to Monmouth County. It first opened its doors on Route 9 in Freehold Township, but closed at the start of the pandemic and never reopened.

Between 2020 and 2021, Raleigh, North Carolina-based Golden Corral closed 124 locations, according to FSR, an industry trade publication. But afterward, it experienced something of a rebirth, with increased same-store sales and new ad campaigns.

Now it’s adding a smaller fast-casual restaurant with a drive through, featuring a “modern twist on comfort food” and a entree-focused steakhouse called G.C. Grill House, according to FSR.

But the chain is not coming back to the same location in Freehold Township. That spot is now leased to RWJ Barnabas Health.

A spokesperson for Golden Corral couldn’t be reached for comment, but we hold out hope. Brick and Asbury Park are listed among the various New Jersey territories that are available to prospective franchisees, according to the company’s website.

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Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme, the delicious donut shop featuring hot soft doughnuts, now has five locations in New Jersey. They are in Springfield, East Rutherford, Jersey City, Paramus and Collingswood.

You might remember that Krispy Kreme, the home of the self-described Original Glazed Doughnut, opened its Brick store in 2003 and closed it in 2005 after the franchisee declared bankruptcy.

We got to thinking about Krispy Kreme after reading reports that the company had started to offer doughnuts at McDonald’s restaurants in Kentucky.

Come on back.

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Bojangles

Do we need more fried chicken? Bojangles fans would probably say yes. The chain, known for its Cajun-fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits, is beginning to push in to New Jersey.

A little over a year ago, the company announced that it had plans to open 10 restaurants in Middlesex, Essex, Union, Bergen and Hudson counties.

A company spokesperson could not be reached for comment on Bojangles’ plans for the rest of the Garden State.

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Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers

A place that specializes in chicken fingers? Sign us up. Raising Cane’s features white meat chicken fingers and crinkle-cut fries along with its Cane’s Sauce and Texas Toast.

And while there are no locations open in New Jersey, that may change.

In mid-2021, the fast-casual chain signed up with Old Bridge-based retail real estate firm R.J. Brunelli & Co. to look for locations in North and Central Jersey, including Monmouth and Ocean counties.

"Our account team is seeking freestanding locations for company-owned restaurants at prime intersections along every major corridor in central and northern New Jersey and Staten Island," said Danielle Brunelli, president and principal of R.J. Brunelli, in a 2021 press release. "Plans call for eight locations annually in our central and northern New Jersey markets alone.”

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Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Ah Cracker Barrel. It’s a favorite in the What’s Going There group on Facebook. In late 2021, Vito Cardinale, developer of Adventure Crossing USA, told us he wants Cracker Barrel to come the sports and entertainment complex that’s rising on Monmouth Road in Jackson.

So far, Cracker Barrel, which has a restaurants in Hamilton, Mount Arlington and Clinton, hasn’t bit.

It tried to open a restaurant in Freehold Township, but the township’s planning board shot down the proposal in late 2017, arguing the proposed 10,396-square-foot building was oversized and "nontraditional" in appearance.

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In-N-Out

The iconic burger chain, which has restaurants in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Texas, has showed no signs that it wants to come east, but we’re hoping for more. And why wouldn’t we?

An In-N-Out cheeseburger, with its beef patty and soft roll, is the standard to which all burgers are measured.

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Whataburger

Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Whataburger has more than 900 locations across 14 states, but none in New Jersey.

Besides its classic Whataburger, the chain also features the Whataburger Patty Melt, Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich and an 11 p.m. to 11 a.m. breakfast menu with pancakes and a breakfast burger.

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: Jersey Shore big chain restaurants missing in Monmouth, Ocean counties