It's official: No Cracker Barrel in Freehold Township

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — It's official. Cracker Barrel will not be coming to the Freehold Marketplace Shopping Center.

The planning board has passed a resolution denying the company's application, arguing the proposed 10,396-square-foot building is oversized and "nontraditional" in appearance.

The township's land use ordinance requires that all commercial, office and industrial sites should include architectural characteristics of historic buildings.

The resolution states, "The board finds that the architectural design presented by the applicant does not include any element of facade, materials, fenestration, color, texture or design elements which are consistent with colonial, federal, Georgian or Victorian architecture."

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The company filed an application to build a 7,180-square-foot restaurant with a 1,933-square-foot store at the Freehold Marketplace Shopping Center on Main Street.

"Our goal is to choose locations that we think are vibrant communities poised for growth, and Cracker Barrel’s Real Estate Development team is always researching new sites to build," Cracker Barrel spokeswoman Breeanna Straessle said in an email. "As a matter of corporate policy, we don’t disclose our development plans, but we will continue to bring our mission of 'Pleasing People' to communities across the country."

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DDR Corp., who owns the shopping center, suggested building the Cracker Barrel so it adjoins two other restaurants, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse.

"Ridiculous!," wrote Wall resident Andy Melnick in a comment on the Asbury Park Press Facebook page. "The governing body of a large township acting with the sensibility of a senior community HOA (homeowners association).

"A successful franchise wants to open a location in your town and pay taxes, and they're worried that the nationally recognized appearance doesn't fit," he said.

The proposed building would have required several variances.

Richard Gatto, Robert Kash, Robert Shortmeyer, Kevin Asadi and Jason Levi voted to reject the application. John Bazzurro and Leon Bruno objected rejecting Cracker Barrel.

Mayor Lester Preston, Committee member Anthony Ammiano and Apryl Kurtz were not eligible to weigh on this matter. Patrick Coburn and Margaret Jahn were absent.

"I have to believe that this is a benefit to the town, to have something a little different from the usual Italian restaurants, Chinese restaurants and stuff like that," Burno said at an Oct. 19 meeting on the project.

The restaurant chain serves "homestyle meals" such as chicken and dumplings, country fried steak and rainbow trout. According to information submitted to the planning board, the average Cracker Barrel restaurant employes 160 workers initially and then drops to 100 to 120 employees.

"That's O.K. Don't go to Freehold that often anyway," wrote Donna Hubbard on the Press Facebook page. "If Cracker Barrel is not good enough for the snobs there, send it to Jackson. We would love it here."

Did you want to see a Cracker Barrel at the Freehold Marketplace Shopping Center? Tell us why in the comments.

Steph Solis: @stephmsolis; 732-403-0074; ssolis@gannett.com