Before the vote, Planning Board Chairperson Richard Bathke expressed concerns that the new restaurant’s building will have signs that are larger in size and quantity than the Township code currently allows.
“This will be our flagship restaurant. Virginia is the closest. This is a West Coast company,” Duncan Prime, an attorney for the restaurant, said in response to Bathke’s concerns. “They are very, very, very interested in having as much signage as they can (that is) tastefully done and appropriately sized. But we really want to succeed here, and we are overcoming a high barrier of entry with very few knowing our brand.”
Another part of Lazy Dog’s application that drew considerable discussion was the “extensive” landscaping that will be performed at the establishment’s location.
“Lazy Dog Restaurant is Rocky Mountain-inspired dining, Jackson Hole, Wyoming-inspired dining,” said Jared Taylor, one of the restaurant’s representatives. “We really try to bring that palette of landscaping into the building, but making sure we are choosing species that are going to work with the local climate… the landscaping is just so critical for Lazy Dog (Restaurant). We maintain it, we really spend the extra money on it, and we really feel, in our opinion, that we go above and beyond it, in almost all jurisdictions, in terms of the landscaping that we provide compared to the (Township) code.”
The Planning Board’s approval was contingent upon restaurant representatives committing to scheduling deliveries and garbage pickup before 9 a.m. “when possible,” keeping the majority of on-site parking spaces intact or removing or replacing them in kind and making said spaces a foot longer and wider, and installing a fire hydrant within 50 feet of the fire department connection.
The approval also included the restaurant’s plans for signs larger in size and quantity than the Township code currently allows and for the landscaping discussed.
No one from the public commented on the restaurant’s plans.
According to Lazy Dog Restaurant’s website, the establishment has menu options that include burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads. During the meeting, restaurant representatives said the establishment will have an outdoor seating area where customers can bring their dogs. When fully built, the establishment will employ about 200 people and about 35 people per shift.
Restaurant representatives also said Lazy Dog’s hours will be 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to up to 1 a.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.
“Typically, it’s lunch and dinner during the week, and then there is a brunch component that is part of the Saturday and Sunday weekend sales,” Taylor said.
This article was originally published on tapinto.net.