Cooper House will open doors Monday

The soft launch of The Cooper House, the new restaurant in Cooper River Park, will take place Monday.

County officials announced today, the day it was set to open, that the launch of the Cherry Hill restaurant had been postponed.

BEER BLASTS: It's a boatload of fun for craft beer lovers

A grand opening celebration is still set for June 5, according to the county. No reason was cited for the delay.

The wholly renovated restaurant takes the place of The Lobster Trap, which closed in 2013.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

In August 2014, Camden County officials announced plans to open a new restaurant at that location in partnership with the KTMK Group, led by longtime restaurateur Kevin Meeker, owner of Westmont's Keg & Kitchen.

The Cooper House is meant to provide affordable family dining as a key draw for families to enjoy all the park has to offer. It will also provide a welcome dining location for the thousands of rowers who attend regattas on what is the third-most-popular river for crew in the country.

Cooper House will be a casual gastro-pub under the direction of restaurant manager Ken Merriman and Chef Tyler Turner (El Vez), as well as a welcome center for the park.

Cooper House was redesigned by R2A architects of Voorhees. The restaurant was originally supposed to open this winter. The cost of renovating the former Lobster Trap came to $2.3 million. The county maintains ownership of the facility, with the restaurant space leased by Meeker and his partners in a public-private trust arrangement that includes paying a monthly cost plus a share of the profits.