IHOP is planning to open a restaurant this spring at the Irving Big Stop at 507 Wilton Road in Farmington.

A tentative opening is set for April 21, Jane Ellis, the general manager for the restaurant, wrote in a Facebook message.

Maine’s newest restaurant in the International House of Pancakes chain will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, she wrote.

Ellis was at the site Thursday interviewing people seeking jobs at the new eatery. She said she will be there from 8 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. Friday as well. The restaurant is hiring about 30 employees, she said.

As soon as Ellis posted a hiring notice on Facebook, the post was shared on several sites and job seekers were stopping by before noon Thursday.

The restaurant formerly at the Irving Big Stop closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the space has been vacant since.

It is good news for truckers who stop at the truck stop, as well as residents and anyone wanting breakfast, lunch or dinner. The restaurant space is undergoing maintenance and some minor renovations, said Steve Kaiser, code enforcement officer for Farmington.

“It has been a process getting everything ready to go in Farmington, but thankfully we’re on track now for a late April opening,” Andrew Ouimet, chief operating officer of Ouimet Resources, wrote in an email. That company has been doing business in Maine for about 15 years and is doing the renovations on the restaurant space.

“This will be our third IHOP we have developed in Maine (after ones in Houlton and Newport),” he wrote. ” We’ve found there is a significant demand for family friendly dining in the areas we’re developing (breakfast, lunch and dinner), and Maine loves IHOP. 

“This will be the first one where we’re not converting a currently operating restaurant, so it will take a bit more startup and training time, but luckily we have Jane already onboard to help with that, as she is an experienced restaurant manager and has worked with our company previously,” Ouimet said.