This salad & stir-fry chain is eyeing an October opening in State College
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- Honeywell will open a new shop in State College on Oct. 31.
- Justin Rosenberg, its founder and CEO, is a Penn State graduate.
- The company had considered State College an expansion target for at least nine years.
Honeygrow, the fast-casual stir-fry and salad chain, is nearly ready to open its doors in downtown State College.
The company’s first Centre County location will open at the bottom of the Pugh Centre apartment complex at 170 E. Beaver Ave. on Friday, Oct. 31, CEO Justin Rosenberg told the Centre Daily Times. He said it feels surreal to be so close to bringing the Philadelphia-based chain to Penn State’s doorstep.
“It’s beyond exciting,” Rosenberg said. “To be on Beaver Avenue, of all places, is really a thrill. It’s a pretty big deal for us.”
Rosenberg, a 2004 Penn State graduate, said the company viewed State College as a prime expansion target for the last nine or 10 years but chose to stay patient until it found the right real estate option. Now, it will become Honeygrow’s newest location in a college town after the company launched sites near the University of Delaware, Rutgers and the University of Pennsylvania.
“It really arrived just in time,” Rosenberg said. “We were patient. We didn’t want to do it just for the sake of doing it. Thankfully, we were able to find something that fit.”
Honeygrow manages roughly 60 locations scattered across eastern and western Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, New York, Delaware and Ohio. However, the chain’s closest locations to State College are in Lancaster and Wyomissing.
Rosenberg said Honeygrow’s opening in State College comes just as his daughter is touring colleges. Launching a location is a full-circle moment after studying in Happy Valley two decades ago.
“We’re a Penn State family,” Rosenberg said. “To have something now in the campus area is awesome for us, personally.”
Rosenberg founded Honeygrow in 2012 after pitching the concept to investors nearly 100 times before landing a deal. He joined Invent Penn State’s “Dare to Disrupt” podcast in 2024 to share the company’s story and discuss his time in Happy Valley.
What’s on the menu?
Honeygrow’s menu features a wide range of stir-fry dishes and salad bowls featuring red coconut curry, sriracha tahini and spicy garlic sauces (Rosenberg’s personal favorite), among plenty of meat and vegetarian mix-ins. Every salad and stir-fry dish is fully customizable to meet flavor preferences and dietary needs, according to the company’s website.
Those with a sweet tooth might consider picking up a “honeybar,” a customizable dessert bowl that usually features fresh fruit, toppings and local honey. These are customizable, too, if menu-made flavors featuring brownie crumble, key lime cheesecake and apple pie don’t interest you.
Rosenberg credited State College’s Green Bowl — the Chinese noodle and bowl shop at 131 W. Beaver Ave. — for helping to inspire what would become Honeygrow. The Penn State graduate said Green Bowl’s cuisine was all he wanted to eat when he was back home on Long Island.
After gaining weight as a Penn State student, Rosenberg worked to improve his health after graduating. Eating a plant-based diet full of salads and stir-fry dishes worked well to get his health back on track and inspire Honeygrow.
“Nutrition really saved my life,” Rosenberg said. “I’ve been able to get my health together over the last 14 or so years. That was part of the influence, and a lot of it came from eating that kind of food at Penn State for four years.”
Preparing to open
Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on Honeygrow’s Beaver Avenue storefront ahead of its Halloween opening. Signs for the shop are already up along the busy State College street.
As Honeygrow’s newest location gets rolling, the company expects to hire a mix of around 40 part- and full-time employees, including Penn State students.
Honeygrow’s State College shop plans to operate from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 2:34 PM.
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