Jake n Joe's to Open Foxborough Location in January 2013

Jake N’ Joes Sports Grille expects to open at the former site of Piccadilly Pub in Foxborough sometime in January 2013, according to the establishment's Facebook page.

"Our Foxborough location will be opening in January 2013," Jake n Joe's said in a reply to a Facebook fan's question on its fan page. "There is not a specific date announced yet."

The restaurant's representatives, Grand Slam Restaurant Concepts Foxborough LLC DBA, had originally targeted a Nov. 21 opening date when it applied for a Common Victuallers license and a transfer of Piccadilly Pub's liquor license with the town.

Selectmen approved all license requests for the restaurant in August but the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission has yet to issue final approval to the town, which has pushed the opening date back.

"We still haven't gotten back final approval from the ABCC, so until that happens, the [Jake n Joe's] restaurant doesn't have any licenses and can't open," said Christina Shewry of the Foxborough Board of Selectmen's office.

Grand Slam Restaurant Concepts purchased the Piccadilly Pub property on July 25 after the Worcester-based company shut the doors on its Foxborough location in February, according to the company’s application to the town.

The proposed layout of the Foxborough location features two dining rooms and one bar. The bar will seat 28 while dining room one will seat 80 patrons and dining room two will seat 92, according to the company’s floor plan. The square footage of the restaurant space, currently at 7,800, is expected to remain unchanged as a result of the renovations, according to the application.

The restaurant is expected to hire 60-65 local employees at its Foxborough location, according to Gerrard D. Fruggiero, the restaurant’s manager.

The restaurant said on its Facebook page that those interested in applying for openings in Foxborough can fill out an application and bring it to its Norwood location (475 Boston Providence Tpke.).

"We will keep it on file until we begin the hiring process for Foxborough," Jake n Joe's said on its Facebook page.

While Jake N’ Joes is described as a sports grille, Fruggiero and owner James Nocera – who also owns The Chateau Restaurant Company – said their restaurants are family friendly and food first.

“We are 60 percent food, 40 percent liquor,” said Nocera. “We are not a liquor place. We are a food place first and liquor comes second. It’s really worked out well."

Fruggiero added the restaurant should not be thought of as a pub or tavern.

“It’s particularly different from a pub or a tavern,” Fruggiero said. “With a pub or tavern people more or less just sit there and drink beer. We are a restaurant first [establishment] with a sports bar concept.”

Jake N' Joes Sports Grille is the product of a dream Nocera and his brother had of wanting to open a sports grille. In 2010, they got that opportunity in Norwood.

“Our family is very into sports, six boys in the family and we were really into sports,” Nocera said. “We always wanted to try a sports grille. We had the opportunity across the street from The Chateau in Norwood to give this a try and it has gone very well. We enjoy it … all throughout the day it has different clientele – from business during the day to families for dinner and a late, younger night crowd.”

The Foxborough location will be only the second Jake N’ Joes Sports Grille in the country.

Jake n Joe's Sports Grille, according to its directory listing on Norwood Patch, is “a contemporary American restaurant and bar that features a wide variety of dining options for lunch and dinner, including appetizers such as nachos, wings, quesadillas, tacos, spring rolls, bread sticks and sliders, salads, soups, specialty and create-your-own burgers, steak tips, ribs, fajitas and more. Jake N' Joes Sports Grille additionally serves draft beer, red and white wines and cocktails, and provides DJ and live entertainment.”

More About Jake N’ Joes

• To view its menu, click here.
• For hours of operation, click here.
• For a photo gallery, click here.