When Tom Park retired and became a restaurant owner, he didn’t expect to be making constant calls to the township or working alone behind a food counter most days.
But since he opened his combined Nathan’s and Bruster’s restaurant in May, that’s exactly what he’s been doing.
The restaurant is located in the Shoppes at Hamilton on Route 130, but the lack of a traffic light outside the center forces customers traveling along Route 130 S to take a two-mile detour. Park said he has continued to reach out to township officials to have a left turn built outside the shopping center to make it more accessible.
“We’re happy with the area. We know it has potential,” Park said. “This could be a big, thriving center.”
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, known for its beef hotdogs and boardwalk-style french fries, has more than 200 locations. Park said he opened a Nathan’s with a Bruster’s Real Ice Cream franchise because it would attract more customers and bring in more income.
This Nathan’s and Bruster’s isn’t the only one in the area, but it is the only one that is a restaurant with space for customers to sit and eat, Park said. But when it opened, it had a staff of 26. Now it has six.
Park said the majority of the customers that come in are from more southern towns like Florence and Columbus, because people driving from north of the shops have trouble with the U-turn.
“Small businesses are really suffering,” Park said.
After he delivered coupons to nearby businesses outside the center, employees came for a meal during their lunch breaks, but said they couldn’t come back again because they didn’t have enough time, Park said.
And other businesses in the center echo Park’s frustration. Color Me Mine, which hosts children’s birthday parties, was one of the first businesses to open in the center, and has felt the effects of the elusive entrance.
“Not everybody’s familiar with the area, even though a lot of people know [Route] 130 obviously,” manager Bob Fedore said. “We’ll get 15 phone calls before the party.”
Fedore said parties often are forced to begin late because employees must manage the phones and partygoers have difficulty locating the store.
But Color Me Mine is a destination business because customers research its location and plan an event there, Fedore said, so it hasn’t felt the effects as much as some of the restaurants, including Nathan’s.
“People drive by looking for something to eat, and they can’t conveniently turn into here, so they’ll just drive past and find eight million other places to eat,” Fedore said. “It’s more of a destination here — you look up a Color Me Mine before you go to it.”
If he could start over, Park said he would still have opened up the restaurant in the Hamilton area, but maybe not the same location, he said.
“It’s a very good area, very up and coming. The people around here are great,” Park said.
Nathan’s and Bruster’s is located at 557 Route 130 N. in Hamilton. For more information, call the store at (609) 581-2222.
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