April 19, 2024
Fast-casual stir-fry chain Wokworks will make its Jersey Shore debut in June when it opens a new restaurant in Margate — its eighth location.
Wokworks, which opened a flagship in Fishtown in January 2023, will take over the spot at 7801 Ventnor Ave. — formerly occupied by a Greens and Grains. The Asian fusion chain uses wok cooking to make bowls in 90 seconds.
Owner Brennan Foxman said he wanted to move into Margate because it's an area he and wife/co-owner Samantha Foxman know so well. They go to there every year for vacation, he said, and visit family in the area multiple times a year.
"We come here every summer, we're here all the time," Foxman said. "So we've been looking at Margate for a while for the perfect place."
The 2,000 square-foot space also has outdoor seating for 40 people and will be open year-round for seven days a week. Foxman said the location will have daytime and evening hours, plus late-night service on the weekends. Food will be available for takeout and delivery to Atlantic City, Ocean City and the nearby mainland.
Foxman said the new spot is the couple's "dream location" in Margate.
"It was a really iconic, nostalgic place for a lot of the locals, so we're really, really excited to take over a space with that history and in the neighborhood that we love and adore," Foxman said.
The Margate Wokworks will include menu favorites such as chili garlic chicken, dry pepper steak and crispy vegetable dumplings and a few baked goods. But the Foxmans also wanted to add some location specific items including dry pepper Korean fried wings, peach yuzu slushies and soft-serve ice cream from Ronnybrook Farm. Customers will also have access to vegan, gluten-free and child-friendly options.
The Foxmans said they'll be sourcing ingredients from New Jersey farms, plus Canadian lobster and wild shrimp. Wokworks will also be partnering with REAP, a market located in Fishtown, for grab-and-go options including lettuce cups, edamame dips, watermelon candy and a seaweed Caesar salad that customers can take to the beach.
Wokworks first opened in Rittenhouse in 2013, and Foxman said the chain is looking to add more Jersey Shore locations but wanted to start with Margate given the couple's personal connection to the town.
"We're always looking for something like Wokworks when we come down," Foxman said. "So we are very excited about giving this type of option to people who live here all year round, but also who come in just for the summer."