Jake n JOES to Open in Foxborough After ABCC Approves License

Jake n JOES is a step closer to opening its Foxborough location after selectmen Tuesday approved the sports grille’s application for an alteration of premises for the all alcohol restaurant license and application for approval of new stockholders.

The restaurant now awaits final approval from the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. Once approved by the ABCC, Jake n JOES says it will need “five to six days” to organize staff before opening for business at 25 Foxborough Blvd.

“As soon as we get it back from the ABCC we will need five or six days to get the staff back together that we’ve hired and get a little bit more training done,” said John H. Michelmore, counsel representing Jake n JOES.

The sports grille’s opening has been delayed several times but with the restaurant’s paperwork now in order and renovations on file, it appears the restaurant’s highly anticipated and long awaited opening is imminent.

“[The paperwork and licenses are] in perfect order,” said Town Manager Kevin Paicos. … “The applicant, the Nocera family, has actually not done a remodeling opening before. They’ve got a whole bunch of restaurants that are extremely well regarded and police chiefs in all of those communities have communicated they are incredibly responsible restaurant owners.”

Paicos said the sports grille’s business owners did not realize when they filed the original floor plan with the town the floor plan they submitted was the one from the Piccadilly Pub.

“The floor plan [submitted] was the one that had been in existence,” Paicos said. “They built something substantially different [at Jake n JOES]. That required them to come in some time prior to opening and file a change of premises petition. They didn’t know they needed to do that.”

Paicos said the town discovered the issue with the paperwork when Building Inspector Bill Casbarra visited the property for a routine permit inspection.

“He looked at the plan and noted a big difference,” Paicos said.

Jake n JOES officially corrected the issue Tuesday.

“Everything is in order,” Paicos said. … “They have done an absolutely stunning job [with the renovations].”

As for the new stockholder application, Paicos said Jake n JOES added an equity partner who is currently involved with the Norwood sports grille to the Foxborough location.

Foxborough Board of Selectmen chair James DeVellis recused himself from Tuesday's public hearing because the property owner is one of his clients. Tuesday's hearing was continued from Feb. 19.

While Jake n JOES is described as a sports grille, restaurant manager Gerrard D. 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 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.”

More About Jake n JOES

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