New Wawa Store Plans Grand Opening In Morris County

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The wait is almost over. Wawa's newest Morris County store is set to open before the end of the year.

According to Jennifer Wolf, a spokesperson for Wawa, the popular convenience store chain will open its newest location in Mountain Lakes this December. Although no official opening date has been set, Wolf believes the store will open in the first few days of December.

The new store will be located in the former Zeris Inn at 372 US-46, Mountain Lakes.

According to the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, the Zeris family story in New Jersey began after WWII, when Steve Zeris moved to the United States and opened his own business, The Parthenon Diner in Parsippany, in the early 1950s.

His four sons — Peter, George, Andy and Chris—accompanied him to the United States in the 1960s, where they worked for several years at Cutter Bar and Restaurant in Morristown.

By 1966, the Zeris family had purchased the Hamburger Inn at the Florham Park Bowling Alley, a business that was so successful that the family was able to purchase the Hamilton Luncheonette in Morristown as well.

In 1972, the Zeris family sold both profitable companies to open the Zeris Inn.

The Zeris Inn opened in 1973, and by 1997, the family had also constructed the Chrisandis Restaurant on the same property, named after Chris and Andy.

By the time the enterprises closed, the Zeris family said that they had hosted over 6,000 weddings, as well as numerous fundraisers and charitable events.

"They cemented themselves and their business as a staple in the social fabric and family lives of many residents of Morris County," the Morris County Board of County Commissioners said.

Discussions about converting the property into a Wawa began in December 2020, when Highview Commercial, LLC, submitted an application to the borough's planning board.

After several public hearings, the board voted 8 to 1 to approve the application in June 2021, with board members Martin Kane, Kelly Holliday, Nicholas Coppola, Mitchell Stern, Jeff Berei, Thomas Menard, Bethany Russo, and Audrey Lane voting in favor and John Horan voting against.

Wawa's traditional menu offerings can be viewed here for both food and beverages.

According to Wolf, more details will be released once Wawa is able to finalize the grand opening date and celebration details.