More than the loss of the gourmet quality food will be the loss of Chris and Debbie Brannon from our historic downtown. They are outstanding people...people you can count on. They supported everything positive in our town. They were a fixture in our town's Heritage Day until the Township Committee and Chamber put a stop to any organized activities. We can never thank the Brannons enough. We are not just going to lose great food, we will lose great friends. The good news is the Hurricane House isn't going anywhere. The Brannons will still be there through all of 2007. Hopefully when they leave, someone else will keep the location running, as it is the oldest ice cream parlor in Ocean County.

Although we have not seen any comments about this future loss to our downtown by our town leaders, they are proud to announce the arrival of a Sonic hamburger franchise. According to the Barnegat Economic Development Committee's newsletter released in November, this new restaurant was given preliminary approval to be located in the same area that already hosts a McDonald's on Rt. 9 - far from our historic downtown area. The arrival of a new development called "Whispering Hills" with 258 units of single, multifamily and affordable housing could have been the reason that another fast-food place decided to move into the area. Many of us will enjoy eating at Sonic, and we should. They seem like a great company and will add to our community. On the other hand though, losing the highest rated gourmet food in town -- and gaining more fast food -- is not the type of progress that makes Barnegat the best place to live. We need balance, and a downtown that supports business...not drives it away. Or soon, we will all be driving away to other towns for good food.