Bielat Santore arranges sale of Sea Girt restaurant to Shore-area company

A Shore-area restaurant operator has acquired a Sea Girt eatery from the longtime owner, according to commercial real estate firm Bielat Santore & Co.

Chefs International, a Point Pleasant Beach-based organization that operates 12 other restaurants in the state, purchased Rod’s Olde Irish Tavern from proprietor Frank Kineavy, the Allenhurst-based real estate firm said in a news release.

“It was time,” Kineavy said in a prepared statement. “After 39 years, it was time, and my broker, Bielat Santore & Co., could not have done a better job or found me a better buyer. Heck, who can put a deal together in the middle of a pandemic? They did it!”

Barry Bielat and Richard Santore announced the deal.

Chefs International plans minor renovations to the facility until state restaurants can reopen at 100% capacity after the COVID-19 shutdown. After that, the new owners plan a total makeover, Bielat Santore said.

“I still have another restaurant to run,” said Kineavy, referring to Frankie’s in Point Pleasant. “I am and will always be a hands-on saloon keeper.”