IHOP expected to open by early November

Editor's Note: The story below has been corrected to indicate that the owners of Apple Investor Group also are the owners of the new IHOP restaurant.

Cape Girardeau IHOP fans will have to wait a little longer to get their Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity fix.

The new IHOP initially was scheduled to open Oct. 1 in the former Pasta House restaurant at 2046 William St., but construction delays have set the opening date back a few weeks, said Mina Patel, human resources generalist for Apple Investor Group, the restaurant's sister company.

"We are attempting (to open)," she said. "It was supposed to be this week, but it looks like it was pushed back to ... late October, beginning of November."

Construction continues on the building, Patel said.

Signage started to go up in recent weeks, including a banner announcing the company is hiring.

Management positions for the new restaurant have been filled, Patel said, but other positions remain open, including servers and dishwashers.

The former Pasta House closed in May, which had been in the location for four years. It opened in the 1980s at West Park Mall and moved to the site near the corner of William Street and Kingshighway in 2010.

IHOP, formerly known as International House of Pancakes, began in 1958 with a single store in Toluca Lake, California, and began franchising in 1960, according to its website, ihop.com.

The company -- a subsidiary of DineEquity Inc., which also owns Applebee's -- has more than 1,500 locations.

Until the Cape Girardeau store opens, the closest IHOP is in Paducah, Kentucky. The company also has several locations in the St. Louis area.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

2046 William St., Cape Girardeau, MO