With a longtime State College buffet set to close, this chain could take its spot

As a longtime State College-area buffet prepares to close, a national chain appears poised to take its place.

Chen’s Mongolian Buffet will close Aug. 25 after more than a decade in business. Owner Jin Feng Jiang said the property’s management team chose not to renew the all-you-can-eat buffet’s lease at 1880 S. Atherton St.

“We couldn’t find any place where we could move,” Jiang told the Centre Daily Times. “The owner didn’t renew with us [to make way for] new development. That’s what we were told, and we have to leave now that the contract is expiring.”

College Township officials shed more light on the new development when reached by the Centre Daily Times Monday afternoon. Early plans submitted to the township this summer indicate a Chipotle fast-casual restaurant is in the works on the property.

The township’s planning commission is currently reviewing minor plans that seek to modify the property’s parking lots to accommodate outdoor seating and improve exterior lighting. The plans would not change the existing building’s footprint, according to principal planner Lindsay Schoch.

For now, it’s unclear exactly when a Chipotle restaurant could open at the soon-to-be former Chen’s property. A company spokesperson confirmed the chain’s plans to open a new State College restaurant in 2026.

Jiang, the Chen’s buffet owner, said he will continue working to find a viable replacement for his restaurant’s longtime College Township location. Even if Chen’s is able to secure another location in the State College area, it could take a few months to get back up and running, he said.

“We’re hoping to find another location we can move to so everyone can come back and keep eating,” Jiang said.

Until it closes in late August, Chen’s is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. The buffet’s menu features a wide range of noodle and meat-based dishes, including Mongolian beef platters, lo mein and fried rice.

A new Chipotle restaurant at 1880 S. Atherton St. would mark the chain’s third location in State College, joining existing sites at 116 Hiester St. and 1850 N. Atherton St. The company is already planning to open a new location along Benner Pike near Bellefonte.

Matt DiSanto

Centre Daily Times

814-231-4616

Matt is a 2022 Penn State graduate. Before arriving at the Centre Daily Times, he served as Onward State’s managing editor and a general assignment reporter at StateCollege.com. Support my work with a digital subscription