The restaurant plans to invest up to $400,000 in renovations at its Oceanwalk location, with work expected to run from September through October.

The restaurant plans to invest up to $400,000 in renovations at its Oceanwalk location, with work expected to run from September through October.

Laurie Mermet Special to The Post AI-assisted summary- Benny’s on the Beach Oceanwalk in Lake Worth Beach has requested a two-month rent waiver from the city while it undergoes renovations.

• The restaurant plans to spend up to $400,000 on improvements, primarily addressing air conditioning issues.
• The request, totaling about $57,000 in rent abatement, awaits approval from the Lake Worth Beach City Commission.
• Benny’s Oceanwalk hopes to complete the renovations within two months this fall.

(This story has been updated with new information)

LAKE WORTH BEACH — Benny’s on the Beach Oceanwalk, a popular Lake Worth Beach restaurant, is asking the city to waive two months of lease payments while it undergoes a major renovation project this fall.

The restaurant plans to invest up to $400,000 in renovations at its Oceanwalk location with work expected to run from September through October. The family-owned restaurant, which has operated since 1986, is asking for/requesting about $57,000 in rent abatement during the closure period.

Approximately $300,000 of the renovations will go directly to the city in the form of capital improvements for the structure itself, which is a city-owned historic landmark building.

The renovation focuses heavily on fixing air conditioning issues that have plagued the Oceanwalk/casino location. According to Dylan Lipton, who manages the restaurant while his father and owner Lee Lipton takes sabbatical, an engineering survey revealed issues.

“The heat is sucking the wind out of our business that time of year. It’s just so hot in there,” Lipton said. “We think we’re doing a disservice to the customers.”

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The project includes buying new air conditioning units to increase power capacity and replacing the ceiling so that they’re more accessible. The restaurant will also update its kitchen hood system, which Lipton described as “on its last legs,” and install a $40,000 to $50,000 rooftop catwalk for safer maintenance access.

The restaurant spent $65,000 on an engineering study to pinpoint the ongoing air conditioning that the building had been enduring.

Benny’s operates two locations in Lake Worth Beach: One directly on the pier and the other Oceanwalk location undergoing renovation. The Benny’s location on the pier is not experiencing any issues and will remain open. The company chose to fund the project privately rather than work with the city to avoid delays.

“We don’t want to deal with a year’s worth of red tape,” Lipton said. “We want to get this done quickly, so we’re willing to take on the cost of revamping the building.”

The lease waiver request requires approval from the Lake Worth Beach City Commission. Mayor Betty Resch confirmed the matter hasn’t been voted on yet and no timeline has been set for when it will be back on the agenda.

“As with most issues there are pros and cons to consider,” Resch wrote in an email to the Palm Beach Post. “I think each of us is weighing the benefits or negatives of the request.”

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“We love the city of Lake Worth Beach and the commission has always been very good to us,” he said. “We’ll see what they come back with.”

The restaurant expects to finalize closure dates by early August, with the renovation likely spanning two months this fall.

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