Who wants breakfast? IHOP sets grand opening

Holiday shoppers will have a new eating choice to fuel their buying power in early December as IHOP in Elizabethtown is set for a Dec. 3 opening.

Neal Cardin

NPM Construction employee Eddie Sams cuts a piece of ceiling tile Tuesday as he and others work on the interior of the IHOP restaurant.

Buy this photo

Neal Cardin

Masonomics, Inc. employee Nathan Johnson cleans excess mortar from glass blocks Tuesday as he and Curtis Sloane fill in a former drive-thru window on the exterior of the soon to be open IHOP restaurant.

Buy this photo

Neal Cardin

The exterior of the former Frisch's Big Boy restaurant is being remodeled and will reopen as an IHOP in December.

Buy this photo

Neal Cardin

The IHOP sign is already in place next to North Dixie Avenue in Elizabethtown.

Buy this photo

International House of Pancakes, occupying the former Frisch’s site on North Dixie Avenue next to Cheddar’s, will open its doors just in time for holiday season shoppers.

Creg Hagerman, vice president of operations for IHOP, said officials would have liked to have the store — one of nearly 1,600 around the world — open by Black Friday. But workers are revamping the store to give it a trademark IHOP look and that takes time, he said.

“IHOP is an iconic brand,” Hagerman said. “We have to go in and brand the building. We have totally renovated the inside; we’ve replaced the carpet and re-done the restrooms. Our colors are red, white and blue so we’ve been getting that done as well as a lot of other work.”

Hagerman said he is proud the renovation is being completed by area residents and items that aren’t needed, like the Frisch’s buffet bar, are being donated locally.

“We are a community company,” he said. “...We’re trying to make an impact in the community now. We’re there to make a little money but also to give back to the communities we’re in.”

He said military personnel receive a standard 20 percent discount and police officers receive 50 percent discounts.

Hiring for various positions begins Monday at the store. Hagerman said store general manager John Walker and other managers will be on site interviewing job candidates. Hagerman said initially about 150 people will be hired and then the staffing will stabilize to around 90 full and part-time employees.

Hiring continues through Nov. 19 and will be followed by employee orientations and training.

There only are a handful of IHOP locations in Kentucky, including Bowling Green and Louisville. Hagerman called Elizabethtown and Kentucky an area of “great appeal.”

Known for its wide range of pancakes, omelettes and other breakfast specialties, IHOP restaurants are open throughout the day and evening hours and offer an array of lunch, dinner and snack items, according to its website.

The first IHOP opened in the Los Angeles suburb of Toluca Lake, Calif., in 1952.

Jeff D’Alessio can be reached at (270) 505-1757 or jdalessio@thenewsenterprise.com.