Construction is to blame for the delay in IHOP’s opening at 1661 S. Atherton St., said a restaurant spokesman.
The new expected opening date is Monday, said spokesman Craig Hoffman.
He had originally said the target date to open was Dec. 10, and when that didn’t happen, he estimated the grand opening to be closer to the new year.
“There have been some construction challenges,” Hoffman said, but he didn’t know specifics. No one was available on-site to release more details.
Representatives at the breakfast chain confirmed in March that an IHOP was making its way to State College after speculation had mounted since late 2012, when a “Coming Soon” sign bearing the IHOP stylized lettering was erected in front of the former Perkins restaurant.
The restaurant will celebrate its opening with an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, Hoffman said.
Hoffman called State College a “good market”for the restaurant, while real estate agent Mick Trombley, of Trombley Real Estate, who represented the property, said last year that other restaurant chains were initially interested in the location, before IHOP “jumped on board.”
“The old Perkins was an underserved market,” Trombley said last year. “We put out all options to anyone interested in the property, and IHOP decided to jump on board. They are good community members who want to serve the community.”
The restaurant will be in a 5,812-square-foot building on a 1.12-acre lot. Construction began late last summer, Hoffman said.
“We have a specific IHOP model,” Hoffman said about remodeling. “We’re looking forward to serving the area.”
Before Perkins, the building housed an Elby’s Big Boy restaurant. A new Perkins is now under construction on Benner Pike.
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