NJ’s favorite breakfast & brunch spot opens yet another location

I first discovered this restaurant when I lived in Long branch and visited the then-new Pier Village. Other long-time Long Branch residents will attest to the fact that the Turning Point was a sign that the new shopping and residential center in Long Branch was really going to bring the seaside town back to its former glory.

It was quaint and homey, with the most delicious food for breakfast and brunch that New Jersey had seen. Prior to that, breakfast in New Jersey meant either the diner or one of the numerous pancake chains.

The Turning Point showed that Long Branch was on the way back. We took so much pride in having Turning Point be our hometown spot that I had no idea that other locations across the state were popping up. But it turned out that other people were enjoying the Turning Point experience, too.

It seems simple, but it’s actually a brilliant idea: A restaurant whose founders wanted to be home in time to be around for the family, so they decided to do breakfast and brunch only. And you know what happens when you hyperfocus. You do that one thing – or two things in this case — extremely well.

Ask anyone who has experienced an early Sunday morning breakfast at Turning Point and you’ll know what I’m saying is true. Now, the Turning Point has grown into a group of 21 restaurants in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, including seven in Monmouth and Ocean counties. And it is definitely in expansion mode. The company is even offering franchises now.

Toms River Is now going to have a second location because the one in Ocean County Mall is just not enough for everyone in the surrounding communities of Berkeley and Manchester. They’ll be opening in the former Ruby Tuesday on Route 37.

Founder and CEO Kirk Ruoff says that they anticipate that the location will be open sometime late this summer. Before you know it, you’ll probably see the turning point in many other states, and maybe even nationwide. And we can say it all started here.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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