Officials with the Villages at Brunswick Forest, the 160-acre town center at the front of the Brunswick Forest community in Leland, have broken ground on a new building that will include restaurants.
 
The building, located across from the Joyce Irish Pub & Grill on Evangeline Drive, will be home to a new Shuckin’ Shack location and A.M. Diner and Deli, according to Dana Fisher, executive director of the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce.
 
Sarah Lookingbill and her husband, Mike, will own the new Shuckin’ Shack location. Sarah Lookingbill is a corporate trainer for Shuckin’ Shack and has been with the company since it opened its first restaurant in Carolina Beach.
 
“We felt it was time for us to have our own location,” Sarah Lookingbill said. “And Brunswick Forest seems like the closest thing to the original Carolina Beach location as far as being a real community gathering space for locals to enjoy fresh seafood.”
 
Andy Eliot, owner of A.M. Diner and Deli, said he will serve breakfast all day, classic deli sandwiches and homemade desserts. A.M. will seat about 70 diners inside, and have a large outdoor patio with a full bar.

“There really isn’t anyone else doing breakfast in the area,” Eliot said. “We’re just a little old diner and deli so we’re not going to reinvent the wheel, but this should be a great location for us.”
 
The Villages at Brunswick Forest is currently also home to Pizzetta’s Pizzeria, Port City Java, Bessie Burger and Flights Craft Beer & Wine.
 
The restaurants are expected to open by late 2017, early 2018.
 
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