Is Guy Fieri opening an Asbury Park restaurant?

With emotions running high this election season, a more urgent matter surfaced this week for fans and residents of the Jersey Shore.

Let me be the first to tell you: "Guy Fieri will not be opening a restaurant in Asbury Park."

That's a direct quote from his publicist, who confirmed my suspicions about a fake website that's being shared on social media. Here's the backstory.

This week, two restaurants closed their doors abruptly in the Monmouth County hot spot. Fish and Cibo e Vino were both owned by The City by the Sea Hospitality Group.

Around the same time, the following website popped up on social media: guysasburykitchen.com

Guy Fieri is a polarizing celebrity chef. For every superfan trying to follow his "triple D" path across America, there's a cringing foodie with a discerning palate. For those unfamiliar with his reputation, read over that infamously snarky New York Times review of one of his restaurants.

The issue is a biggie for those worried about the tipping point of gentrification. Or, to use blunter words, the fear of Asbury losing its edge as more developers flock to its waterfront and downtown. It's something I heard lots about last spring at the Asbury Park Music in Film Festival.

On Twitter, locals became antsy after seeing the fake site:

With all that bashing, I feel it's important to remember Guy Fieri still has a successful brand. He's already in Atlantic City with Guy Fieri's Chophouse at Bally's. And he's shown a lot of love to New Jersey on his show, "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives."

In any case, those Twitter fears are baseless because the Fieri Asbury site is a hoax. It looks a lot like the Guy Fieri Vegas Kitchen & Bar website:

So, the Guy's "Cookman Creamer Alfredo" and "Boss" Burger Donkey style promised on the fake Fieri site? Those are just pipe dreams for the reborn Asbury Park scene.

Proud Jersey Girl Erin Vogt’s first reporting gig involved her Fisher Price tape recorder. As a wife and momma of two kiddies, she firmly believes that life’s too short to drink bad coffee. A fan of the beach, Dave Grohl and karma, in no particular order.

Follow her on Twitter and on Facebook as ProudJersey.

Also on New Jersey 101.5: