New Restaurant May Come to Bridgewater Mall

Pending approvals from the Planning Board, a plan by General Growth Properties, owners of Bridgewater Commons, will add a third restaurant to the mall.

GGP presented an outline of the plans at the Dec. 2 Township Council meeting, winning general agreement on modifying the agreement to enable the mall to add a third "pad" to the mall on the southside, near the entrance close to the California Pizza Kitchens.

The new request would add to the mall's existing or planned "pads." The pads allow for construction of restaurants without interior access—such as the Cheesecake Factory restaurant, and Seasons 52, a restaurant also planned for the southside of the mall to be built on the second pad approved by the township. 

No agreements for the next restaurant have been made, according to mall General manager Troy Fischer.

"The plans for the southside restaurant expansion are only conceptual at the moment and open to fluid changes, including size and actual placement," he said. 

He added the mall is requesting the third pad ahead of completion of the second one because it will allow more efficient work as the Seasons 52 restaurant is built.

Township Council members looked favorably on the request, which they noted increases revenue to the township coffers because the township receives a portion of the rents paid to the mall by the occupants.

The township's agreement with the mall owners limits development on the site, but allows for changes within square footage allotments. The terms of the agreement allowing Seasons 52 and the new restaurant would change square footage set aside for expanding the Bloomingdale's and Lord and Taylor anchor stores, shifting it to the pads.