Jake n JOES Now Open for Dinner in Foxborough

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There’s a new sports grille in town hungry to begin serving its newest community with great food in a fun, sports-themed atmosphere.

“We love this location and are very excited to be bringing Jake n JOES to Foxborough,” said owner James Nocera – who also owns The Chateau Restaurant Company. “We feel a sports grille is something the community was lacking and it’s great to be able to do it.”

Jake n JOES long awaited opening is finally here as the sports grille will be opening its doors to patrons in Foxborough at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday for dinner only. The restaurant will operate on dinner only hours (opening at 4:30 p.m.) from March 26 to April 1 and expand to lunch and dinner (opening at 11 a.m.) on Tuesday, April 2.

In addition to the wall-to-wall HDTVs and sports memorabilia, Nocera says patrons will enjoy the “great food” on the menu.

“We take pride in the food, especially with owning the Chateau Restaurants,” Nocera said. “If we do food right people will enjoy the experience.”

As for dishes to try, Nocera suggests something with barbecue or any of the grille’s chicken wings.

“Barbecue is very good,” Nocera said. “All the wings are incredible. We have quite a few different beers on draught.”

The Nocera family hosted a private party Monday night to celebrate the opening of its second Jake n JOES restaurant. The Noceras opened its first sports grille in Norwood in 2010.

In attendance to celebrate the opening were Foxborough selectmen Mark Sullivan and Lynda Walsh, Foxborough girls’ basketball head coach Lisa Downs and her husband, Jeff as well as Senator James Timilty (D-Walpole).

The sports grille had targeted opening by the end of January but renovations moved that date into February. However, significant changes to the floor plan that was submitted with the restaurant’s liquor license and permits forced Jake n JOES to further delay its opening while ownership got the paperwork in order with both the town and state.

Jake n JOES representatives met with Foxborough’s Board of Selectmen on Feb. 26 to submit an updated floor plan and selectmen swiftly approved the restaurant’s licenses needed to operate in town. From there, the restaurant waited for the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) to issue final approval of the license, which occurred last week.

The Foxborough sports grille features two dining rooms, one bar and a patio. The bar seats 28 while dining room one seats 80 patrons and dining room two seats 92, according to the company’s floor plan.

Restaurant manager Gerrard D. Fruggiero said 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.”

Jake n JOES 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.”

View the photo gallery above for a sneak peek at Jake n JOES in Foxborough and click here to view a menu.