Perkins Griddle & Go is planning 15 new cafés in New Jersey after opening its first U.S. location in Flemington on October 19. The expansion brings a familiar breakfast name back into the spotlight in a state where several longtime restaurants have recently closed.
The first Griddle & Go is at 100 Reaville Avenue in The Shoppes at Flemington. Local franchisees Giuseppe and Nicole Lahara are behind the restaurant and the 15 additional locations. According to Perkins’ October 16 announcement, the couple now has a 16-café development commitment across New Jersey, including the Flemington location that has opened.
The first New Jersey Griddle & Go is already open
The Flemington café opened Monday, October 19, marking the format’s first operating location in the United States. Perkins’ official ordering page now lists the restaurant at 100 Reaville Avenue, with hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The location sits near the Flemington Circle in a shopping center, rather than in a traditional roadside diner building.
Griddle & Go is a smaller, quicker-service version of the familiar Perkins restaurant. Customers place orders at the counter or use self-service kiosks, then take their food to go or settle into the café-style dining room. It is intended to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, not just the morning rush.
Where are the next 15 cafés planned?
The Laharas originally signed a development agreement for 10 Griddle & Go restaurants, then expanded that commitment to 16. The expansion added development territory in Monmouth and Ocean counties, bringing the concept closer to New Jersey’s coastal communities as well as its central counties.
That does not mean there are 15 finished storefronts ready to open. Perkins has not announced addresses, cities or grand-opening dates for those remaining locations. The development agreement sets the goal; individual sites still need to be selected and prepared before customers can visit.
Earlier company materials described a roughly 10-year horizon for the Laharas’ 16-café plan. The newly operating Flemington restaurant counts as one of those 16, leaving 15 planned locations in that particular franchise agreement.
What is on the Griddle & Go menu?
Expect familiar Perkins staples, but in a faster format. The menu includes pancakes, breakfast skillets, egg sandwiches, breakfast burritos, burgers and salads. The café also offers a pork roll breakfast sandwich, a nod to a New Jersey favorite, along with coffee drinks and breakfast sides.
Bakery fans have plenty to choose from, too. Perkins is carrying over its signature Mammoth Muffins and pies, alongside cookies, cinnamon rolls and other sweets. The new café format is meant to give customers a quick stop for breakfast or a takeout meal without eliminating the option to sit down.
When will the other New Jersey locations open?
For now, Flemington is the confirmed address. The remaining 15 cafés are part of a long-term franchise plan rather than a set of openings scheduled for the coming weeks. No detailed construction or opening calendar has been announced for the rest of the Lahara family’s sites.
New Jersey diners can already try the new format in Flemington. The next useful updates will be specific towns, signed locations and opening dates for the other cafés planned across the state.
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