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PEQUANNOCK - Tiffs Bar & Grill to replace Triangle Hofbrau
(by April Plantamura - Staff Writer - April 09, 2008)
PEQUANNOCK - Local residents who were sad to see the traditional German restaurant, the Triangle Hofbrau, close late last year after over 70 years, will soon be seeing some major renovations to the building in preparation for its reopening as a Tiff’s Casual Bar and Grill.
Tiff’s Casual Bar and Grill, owned by former NFL star Tony Siragusa and his partner Michael Romanelli, has several locations in northern New Jersey including Morris Plains, Pine Brook, Union, Toms River and a new one in Clinton. The restaurant offers everything from Buffalo wings and barbecue ribs to salmon.
Michael Rubin, local attorney for the Tiff’s project, went before the Planning Board on Monday, April 7 joined by Jeffrey Reeves, director of Dresdner Robin engineering, environmental, planning and surveying. The two men addressed several questions that were posed by the board at previous meetings including lighting, landscaping and parking on the premises. Several other issues were also addressed at the Monday night meeting.
At a previous meeting, Planning Board members questioned the applicants on their proposed 9 x 20-foot parking spaces, because they exceed the township’s 9 x 18-foot requirement. Reeves said that this issue could easily be addressed. The proposed parking lot would contain approximately 142 spaces. This figure is determined by the number of proposed seats in the restaurant – which currently stands at 426 – divided by three.
Currently, the restaurant holds approximately 216 patrons. The applicant is planning to build a patio area onto the existing structure that would hold another 244 guests.
“A restaurant establishment, in this day and age, has to provide people with somewhere to smoke,” Rubin said. “Patrons will walk out if they find they have nowhere to smoke.”
Reeves assured members of the board that the restaurant’s addition would be flood proof and built several feet about the current restaurant’s structure, which is already above flood elevation. The new patio section will also house the restaurant’s main bar. The applicant is proposing to open the main section of the restaurant while construction on the addition is being completed. No final decisions have been made on this issue.
Pequannock Planner Jill Hartmann pointed out several inadequacies with the project including insufficient landscaping on the property and the proposed location of the restaurant’s Dumpster.
According to township ordinances, 5 percent of the establishment’s parking lot must be covered with landscaping. Reeves said that to meet this requirement the applicant is willing to place 4-foot grass strips throughout the area.
The lack of landscaping on the property only added to Hartmann’s disapproval of the proposed Dumpster location near the entrance of Pequannock Road.
“You have some landscaping in that area and I don’t think you want to take it all out,” Hartmann said. “It (the Dumpster) should go behind the building.”
Rubin’s argued, however, that patrons on the patio enjoying their dinner, drinks and cigarettes would not want to be faced with a Dumpster. Hartmann said that she understood the applicant’s concerns but that placing the Dumpster near Pequannock Road would not do. Reeves said that he would look into changing its location.
Another issue that the board tackled was the installation of two entrance ways into the restaurant parking lot from Route 23, but only one exit onto Madison Avenue, which is a residential street.
Several board members asked why the former entrances and exits connecting to Route 23 needed to be changed. Reeves explained that due to the nature of the construction on the building and the size of the parking lot, the applicant had to go through the state Department of Transportation (DOT) for approval.
“This is the DOT’s opportunity to impose any changes they want,” Reeves said. “We went through three different options with them (the DOT) and this is the only one they would approve.”
Rubin explained the state’s access permit law states that if an establishment abuts a municipal road, like Madison Avenue, that it has to be utilized. Members of the board suggested that the applicant discuss creating one large entrance and exit into both the Tiff’s restaurant parking lot and that of a bagel shop located next door. The main concern of board members was that restaurant traffic might disturb Madison Avenue residents.
“Lights will be shining into those houses on Madison (Avenue) all night,” Board Member Jay Vanderhoff said.
Both Rubin and Reeves were more than willing to investigate creating a shared entrance and exit for both Tiff’s restaurant and the bagel shop.
Hartmann said that the project complies with all of the township’s requirements for a restaurant establishment and just needs to address the issue of entering and exiting the parking lot and the relocation of the Dumpster. The applicant hopes to have all of these changes completed before returning to the Planning Board in May.
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