Circus Drive-In faces demolition, site could be home to store

WALL - The new owner of the Circus Drive-In plans to turn the iconic Jersey Shore restaurant into a retail store.

New real estate listings for the property reveal that the site is likely to be divided into two separate "pad" sites, including one 3,000-square-foot store at the site of the restaurant.

An additional 15,000 square feet of space is also proposed, with groundbreaking in February.

RELATED: Circus Drive-In appears to be doomed

The 63-year-old Circus Drive-In was sold for $1.75 million on Sept. 12 to Richard Roccesano, whose firm Rock Asset Management owns the Spring Lake Heights Center, Neptune City Shopping Center and various shopping centers in Florida.

Roccesano, a Spring Lake resident, did not return multiple calls seeking comment.

The first ax has already fallen: Tree Willy, a Christmas tree business that has operated on the site since 2007, has already been told it can't operate there, Tree Willy owner Geoffrey Ernst said.

"After explaining that we only use the parking lot area for customers, carried significant liability insurance, never had a claim against us and even received a recommendation from the previous owner based on our merits as a worthy tenant, the new owner claimed our rent was not enough," Ernst said.

When the business sold in September, real estate agent Gerard Norkus told News 12 New Jersey that the iconic clown sign would likely remain with any future development. Other mementos and materials from the restaurant could be auctioned off, he said.

The Circus Drive-In opened in 1954. It was owned and operated by Richard Friedel and his family until 2004. In 2004, the Friedels sold the business to the Kayal family, who operated it for six years before turning it over to Rich Rose and Charles Kavitsky.

ORIGINAL OWNER: "I'm sorry to see Circus Drive-In go."

A petition to "save the Circus Drive-In" garnered nearly 3,000 signatures, and dozens begged the Wall Township Committee to designate the site an "historic landmark."

When the duo put the diner on the market last year, thousands of diners and former employees pleaded with them to find a new owner who would continue operating the restaurant, which Norkus said couldn't happen.

LETTER: Circus Drive-In was part of 'perfect summer day'

"The numbers don't work," Norkus said in January. "It just doesn't work. It's a seasonal place, and that's why it was being sold in the first place."

The Protection for the Ethical Treatment of Animals offered to purchase the site at a below-market rate and turn it into a vegan restaurant and animal cruelty museum.

Mike Davis; @byMikeDavis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com