Entertainment

‘Jersey Shore’ fans flocking to Seaside Heights

Get ready for a mouthful of Snooki — Snooki Punch, that is.

Michael Carbone, who owns the Beachcomber Bar and Grill, created the drink this spring after tourists stormed his hangout in Seaside Heights, NJ, eager to see the spot where poofy-haired Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi was famously punched in the face on MTV’s “Jersey Shore.” Carbone mixed up the rum, melon liquor, pineapple juice and cream concoction in anticipation of the best summer season in years for his sleepy beach nabe. In fact, the past few weeks have already drawn unexpected spring crowds.

“This past weekend was just like summer — a good summer,” Carbone says. “A lot of people were walking around in their ‘Jersey Shore’ shirts. We were so busy, we had a hard time keeping up with people. This time of year you’re not expecting that kind of influx.”

Seaside Heights usually doesn’t heat up until Memorial Day, the beginning of the town’s 12-week summer season. But thanks to the mania of last year’s reality hit “Jersey Shore” and its boozing, fighting, flirting cast who were filmed there, business is booming weeks before it’s warm enough to stroll the boardwalk in a tube top.

Nightclubs are especially seeing a boost. “This was our second strongest winter ever, and I attribute a lot of that to the show,” says John Saaddy, owner of Karma and The Bamboo, two hot spots seen on “Jersey Shore.” “When it started airing, we saw a 25 percent increase in business.”

Karma manager Carmine DeRosa says, “Everyone’s trying to get in here. People are constantly calling, and I’ve booked a ton of Sweet 16 parties already. I’m definitely anticipating bigger crowds this summer.”

“Right now, Seaside Heights is on everyone’s lips — it’s the ‘Jersey Shore’ effect,” agrees Maria Maruca, executive director of the town’s business improvement district, walking through the shabby, six-bedroom house where the cast stayed and was filmed. Before the show, the 3,000-square-foot oceanfront property was used as a private residence and not for rent. Now it’s going for $2,500 a night.

Mike Loundy of seaside-realty.com, who handles the house’s rentals, calls the space “the ninth cast member.” “It’s already been rented for Memorial Day. We were asking for $15,000 for those three days and got close to that,” he says. Meanwhile, adjacent houses are going for $5,000 per week. “The activity has perked up considerably,” Loundy says. And at the White Pearl Hotel, the nicest one in town, owner Bill White says he’s seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in booking and “I would have to attribute that to the show.”

As well as selling Snooki Punch, Carbone has decked out the Beachcomber with posters and T-shirts celebrating the moment the “guidette” got snookered sitting at his bar. Nearby, Ryan’s Boulevard Deli & Grill staffers have introduced “The Situation” (a sandwich named after the “Jersey Shore” cast member), filled with bologna, cheese and a double dose of mayo.

Tourists aren’t the only people flooding Seaside Heights. Hot- dog entrepreneur Steven “Bubba” DeMuro Jr. is moving his shop to the town from his home base of Lyndhurst, NJ., which is two hours away. He’s betting that his deep-fried hot dogs and pizza will be a hit with fans of “Jersey Shore,” and plans to call his operation Bubba’s Dog House. “After watching the show on MTV, I realized this was a golden opportunity to make something happen,” DeMuro says. “That’s the main reason I am going down there: because of the show.”

Still, not everyone in town is happy about the “Jersey Shore” surge. Jennifer Affa, who owns the Italian restaurant On Top of Spaghetti with her husband, Rob, is taking steps to keep J-WoWW wannabes from ruining the atmosphere. “We took penne alla vodka off the menu,” jokes Affa, referring to a lower-priced menu item that might draw rowdy fans.

But she may not be able to keep the high-haired hordes away. The “Jersey Shore” cast just announced it will be back filming their second season in Seaside Heights this summer. “We will take as many people as we can get,” says Rob Affa. “But that being said, the headaches will be much larger.”