Approved by Brooklawn in 2021, Bogey’s is a new restaurant and bar being developed along the Big Timber Creek at the Brooklawn Circle, and this summer is seeing significant construction progress with exterior walls and sheeting going up.
This has led to many reader questions to 42Freeway asking what the project is… or for those who already knew, wondering about an update.
I previously wrote about this project but that was back in 2021 when it was approved by the Brooklawn Planning Board… the three-year span to 2024 is likely a factor in why today some locals weren’t aware of what the construction project is!
Yesterday I spoke with the owner to get the latest update, and his architecture team provided me with a rendering of the beautifully designed restaurant and bar.
Keep scrolling and reading for the latest details!
Bogey’s Brooklawn Marina Restaurant & Bar
The Brooklawn restaurant property is situated at the intersection of Route 47/Delsea and Creek Road… across the street from the Westbrook Bowling alley.
This all-new construction building is a single story 6,000sf restaurant and bar which will be positioned closer to the Big Timber Creek, to take advantage of the waterfront views and dining experiences… as well as provide quick access to what will become an expanded boat marina along the 250 feet of waterfront.
With his mind on fully maximizing the unique waterfront location, local owner Don Bogey and his architect team at TK Studio (in Mullica Hill) have designed the restaurant so that customers enter on the side of the building after stepping up unto a wraparound deck, and immediately head towards the back portion of the space which will offer amazing riverfront views.
The large dining room and bar area features floor-to-ceiling glass walls segments to connect the interior dining areas to the marina and river, and the wraparound deck will be positioned to also to maximize the waterfront location.
The indoor space will include a 56-seat bar and a dining area accommodating 160 patrons. The attached waterfront deck will offer seating for another 24 customers.
The building is being developed on a raised foundation to protect it from any potential flooding concerns, but also the extra height provides improved views for customers.
There will be an all new large parking lot accommodating 85 cars, and the expanded marina will include customer dock slips to accommodate boaters while they stop in for a delicious coal-fired oven pizza or refreshing cold draft.
To make room for the expanded parking lot, portions of existing retail buildings will be removed.
If you weren’t aware, the Big Timber Creek that the restaurant is being developed next to, leads directly to the Delaware River where numerous marinas and boaters are located!
So as you are reading this you may be thinking that with all new construction and an amazing customer focused design, that the restaurant will target a premium dining experience and higher price point.
But owner Don tells me he is targeting his new restaurant to be focused on a “working man’s” customer base, with a coal-fired pizza oven as one of the signature restaurant aspects, as well as a raw bar and a selection of pastas, sandwiches and more.
To understand this better, owner Don has lived in the area around the Brooklawn Circles his entire life and he understands the communities and the people who live and work in the area very well… and while obviously everyone is welcome to his upcoming new restaurant, it’s incredibly important for him that the residents of the local communities are regular customers of his.
And to bring that point home even further, many of you already reading this may be aware that the owner is Don Bogey who 40 years ago operated a locals focused pub on the property called Bogey’s Circle Bar.
Being a hard working man himself who found success in a variety of construction oriented businesses including asphalt paving… targeting his new restaurant to be a comfortable place for “the working man” is the only way he could envision his latest restaurant/bar venture!
New Restaurant To Bring Good Times Back to Property
Old-timers like myself remember that the property once was home to a tavern building that sat much closer to Creek Road and the Brooklawn Circle intersection.
Most recently in the 1980/90s that bar was called “Private Eyes” but through the 70s and into the early 80s it was called Bogey’s Circle Bar. Private Eyes closed some time in the early 1990s and a Courier-Post article in 1995 covered the demolition of the building that was taking place at the time.
As mentioned, the earlier name Bogey’s came from owner Don, who after all these decades still owns the property… and he and his family are the owners behind the development of the new restaurant bar!
The original Bogey’s Circle Bar was developed very close to the roadway, likely with the intent of capturing the intention of motorists passing by on the circle.
Now with the new Bogey’s restaurant development, Don and his wife recognize that the true gem of the property is the Big Timber Creek at the back… and he will soon be achieving his dream of opening a new restaurant developed to take advantage of the waterfront access.
So now you’re probably wondering ”Ok this sounds amazing but when will they open!”
Don’s immediate goal is to have the full exterior building enclosed including the roof completed, by the end of this summer.
That being said he still expects another 18 months is needed to complete the project, which would put the opening ahead of the 2026 summertime boating season.
Without getting into too many details Don explains that much of the project is self-funded, and he also has additional requirements such as the NJDEP regulations related to the 250 feet of waterfront marina.
So simply he’s working hard and focused on the project, but for a variety of reasons there may be times where it seems like things have stalled… and then as we experienced in the last 6 to 8 weeks “boom”, we could then see a lot of activity!
Links and Location
Bogey’s Marina Restaurant
2 Creek Road
Brooklawn NJ