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Byline: Shruti L. Mathur
Jun. 29--WARETOWN, N.J. -- As Angelo Eppolito posted a "Coming Soon" sign for his new franchise along the side of Route 9, several cars pulled over on the shoulder and took pictures of it.
What got them so excited? A new Sonic, which claims to be the nation's largest drive-in fast-food restaurant and has commercials that play across the country but which has not had a location in New Jersey -- until now.
"There's such a buzz going on about Sonic right now," said Angelo Eppolito, who owns the franchise. "People were getting out of their cars and jumping up and down."
Eppolito said he knew a good thing when he saw it, so he left his job selling residential real estate to open the franchise, which should open its doors sometime this fall.
There are 3,200 Sonic restaurants in the United States and Mexico, but the closest to New Jersey is in Bridgeville, Del., about 100 miles away. Similarly, the buzz surrounding Waretown's planned town center drew Eppolito to lay a foundation in his hometown.
"Just as Sonic is an up-and-coming thing in New Jersey, now Waretown seems to be the up-and-coming town in Ocean County," Eppolito said.