SACO — Pancake and breakfast fans are rejoicing as an IHOP restaurant is opening Wednesday at 515 Main St. in Saco.

New Hampshire-based franchisee Aziz Elsherif is the owner of the new restaurant, which can be found at the former site of the China House restaurant.

Construction crews were hard at work on the storefront exterior on Tuesday, putting final touches on the 4,600-square-foot building, which sits between a Starbucks and a Dairy Queen.

The parking lot has been striped and the restaurant’s large blue electronic sign was installed Monday. A note posted on the new sign there says the restaurant is still accepting employment applications.

Elsherif also owns two other IHOP restaurants in Maine, one in Augusta and one in Auburn and he said in June that the Saco location appealed to him because of its proximity to the beach and the high amount of tourist traffic in the area. 

IHOP was founded in 1958 in Toluca Lake, California, as the International House of Pancakes, according to information listed on the IHOP website.

Currently there are more than 1,650 IHOP restaurants worldwide.

Besides pancakes, IHOP’s menu includes omelettes, French toast, crepes, steakburgers, waffles, sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, chicken strips, fish, steak tips, roasted turkey and salads.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at [email protected]