Michael L. Diamond

@mdiamondapp

PETA, the animal rights group, wants to purchase the Circus Drive-In in Wall and turn it into a vegan restaurant and museum that showcases animal cruelty, officials said Monday.

The group's proposal to buy the property at below-market rate would turn the building, which has been a symbol of carefree summers at the Shore, into a decidedly more somber experience.

"We saw reports in the news (that the restaurant was for sale) and thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight the pain — and fear of pain — that are part of the everyday life of animals in the circus," said Emily von Klemperer, director of legal and corporate affairs for PETA.

The Circus Drive-In recently was put on the market, putting its future in doubt. A landmark at the Shore for more than 60 years, the restaurant has been a place where visitors heading to the beach could forget their troubles and indulge in grilled cheese sandwiches, pork rolls, and fried shrimp to name a few, all while sitting under a red and white canopy.

READ MORE: Possible Circus Drive-In sale puts future in doubt

The owners plan to lease it or sell it outright. It is 1.64 acres on heavily traveled Route 35 — near a location that Whole Foods decided was desirable enough to open a grocery store. Added to the mix: Nostalgic customers are hoping a new operator will keep the Circus Drive-In open.

Gerard Norkus, a sales associate with Harold Wien Real Estate LLC, which is representing the owners, said Monday he received a letter from PETA, short for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, wondering if it could lease the property for a modest amount and turn it into a museum and vegan restaurant.

"They want basically a below-market deal on the place," Norkus said. "I said, 'That’s not going to happen.'"

"The phone has been ringing off the hook," he said. "There’s a high level of interest on that property both as a continuing operation and a redevelopment site."

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The connection between the Circus Drive-In and an actual circus seems like a reach. But PETA isn't shy about advancing its cause. It sued SeaWorld in 2011, for example, saying five orcas were subjected to slavery, in violation of the 13th Amendment.

A bid for the Circus Drive-In "alone highlights the mistreatment of circus animals,” said Steven Tauber, director of the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He is the author of "Navigating the Jungle: Law, Politics and the Animal Advocacy Movement."

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PETA's proposal calls for educational displays similar to the PETA Empathy Center it opened in Los Angeles. It would help the public learn about animal cruelty at circuses — videos, for example, of elephants and tigers that are beaten and coerced into performing tricks, von Klemperer said.

And it would include a vegan restaurant, featuring food made without any animal products. It would rule out much of Circus Drive-In's menu.

"We think PETA leasing this unique restaurant would enable owners to preserve the building," von Klemperer said, and allow the public to "enjoy delicious vegan, all-American food that doesn’t harm animals."

Michael L. Diamond; 732-643-4038; mdiamond@gannettnj.com