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For the first Wednesday in nearly seven years, downtown Cookman Avenue mainstay Old Man Rafferty’s will not open for service.

Restaurant owner Mark Jakuboski had a contract in place for owners of the Shore House Bar and Grill in Point Pleasant to purchase the Asbury Park location at the corner of Emory Street and Cookman Avenue in the Steinbach’s building, and financing for the deal came through yesterday, he said.

“At this time seven years ago we were moving stuff in, now we’re moving stuff out,” he said.

The restaurateur still owns two other Old Man Rafferty’s locations, one in New Brunswick and one near his home in Hillsborough.

“My life is going to be so much simpler,” he said, waxing nostalgic at the fact that out of all three restaurants, he enjoyed the people, community and decor of the Asbury Park location the most.

Family members that own the Shore House contacted Jakuboski months ago to ask if he was interested in selling and made an offer that sounded good to him, so he went for it, he said. Jakubowski declined to name the purchase price.

Shore House owners will bring in an “hip and trendy” restaurant that befits the changing demographics of Asbury Park, according to Jakuboski, who said his restaurant doesn’t draw the crowds it use to from Deal, Loch Arbour and Wall Township and even the older clientele that used to live upstairs in the Steinbach’s building is trending toward a younger crowd in their late 20s and early 30s who are not tied down and don’t work regular nine to five hours.

New owners plan to do some “light renovation” to the over 8,000 square foot space to make it look like smaller venues that are connected, he said. Plans include the addition of two bars, one in the raised platform area near the entrance and another in the rear of the space where a blue tile wall currently stands, he said.

“I think it’s good for Asbury Park,” he said.

Jakuboski spent the morning meeting with several other business owners in town to ensure the remainder of his employees have a new place to work in the city.

“I’m very sad to leave, but at the same time I feel like there has been a large boulder taken off my shoulders,” he said.

Jakuboski is also part owner of Baca Sports Bar and Lounge with developer Carter Sackman, which is under contract for purchase by partners who own the Asbury Park Festhalle and Biergarten.

[Screengrab at top taken from Google Maps.]

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