Philadelphia's crab fry authority opened its fifth New Jersey location this week.
At last, the Crabfries are cooking in Marlton.
Chickie’s & Pete’s, the Philadelphia-based restaurant chain, quietly opened its highly-anticipated location this week, with plans to host a grand opening event on Friday, April 6.
On Thursday afternoon, the second day of business, the restaurant was booming with a lunch rush.
“It’s been great,” said Joe Carpinella, the company’s vice president of operations. “We’ve been dying to be a part of the community.”
The long-awaited location was announced January 2017 to takeover the former Champps building overlooking Route 73 and Old Marlton Pike. While the company had hoped to get the restaurant off the ground for the 2017 NFL season, it was pushed to April, as renovations took longer than expected.
The restaurant is just one of a slew of businesses that have opened in Evesham Township over the past year.
The chain, which has more than a dozen stand-alone locations in addition to kiosks in sports stadiums, has become famous over the years for its sports bar atmosphere and food — particularly its crabs and seasoned fries. ESPN once called it the number one sports bar in North America.
Evesham Mayor Randy Brown has long wanted to bring the local chain to the township, and previously said the closing of Champp’s provided the perfect opportunity.
Inside, the Marlton location boasts 64 televisions, as well as 43 beers on tap — many of which come from local breweries. Crab legs, mussels, raw oysters and, of course, Crabfries, are all on the menu.
A ribbon cutting is scheduled at the restaurant next Friday.
Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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