Construction is underway at former IHOP on 12th. What does Scott Enterprises have planned?

Nick Scott Sr., president of Erie's Scott Enterprises, isn't afraid to change his mind.

There was a time not too long ago when he thought Quaker Steak & Lube, a franchise that his family had operated in Erie for years, had run its course.

When his company received what Scott called a good offer from a medical marijuana dispensary to lease the Quaker Steak & Lube building at 7851 Peach St., management decided to shutter the Erie location of the iconic chicken wing restaurant.

And just as quickly, Scott decided closing was a mistake.

Scott Enterprises soon found a new location for Quaker Steak a few blocks to the south at the former Hooch & Blotto's at 8071 Peach St.

"I had this sinking feeling after 22 years that the concept was going away," Scott said in January. "I said I don't think we should let this go. I think we should consider moving it forward."

Now, a few months later, Scott Enterprises is making plans to open a second Quaker Steak location in the former IHOP building at 2565 W. 12th St. Scott Enterprises, which operates an IHOP on Peach Street near Interstate 90, closed the West 12th Street location in March of 2021.

"We are going to do another Quaker Steak & Lube," Scott said Tuesday. "We are kind of doing it on steroids, which means it's going to be a deluxe model with different menu choices."

What will be different at West 12th Street location?

This location will offer wings, burgers and other menu items for which the Lube is known. But an agreement with the ownership of the Quaker Steak chain will allow for more customization than restaurant chains typically permit.

"We have permission to make changes," Scott said. "We get to flex a little bit of our hospitality muscle to make what we think are improvements."

Julie Maggio, assistant zoning and development officer for Millcreek Township, said Scott Enterprises obtained building permits in March 2022 for a 700 square-foot expansion of the building and the addition of a 300 square-foot deck area for outdoor dining. Total cost of the project was estimated at $486,000, she said.

Scott said the expanded space will provide seating for about 160 people.

"We are putting in more seating and a bar. It's going to be very nice," he said. Plans call for the renovations to be complete and for the restaurant to be serving food by the end of the year.

Another Scott restaurant in the works?

Scott Enterprises had originally planned to develop an Italian restaurant in the former IHOP space. The plan hasn't been discarded, but the location has changed.

"We are going to delay the Italian (restaurant) for another location, perhaps something on the bayfront," he said.

Scott makes no apologies for the company's change of heart, not in the case of the Italian restaurant or Quaker Steak & Lube.

"We are kind of famous for changing our minds back and forth, sometimes too much," he said. "But in the end we finally come up with something that works."

And Scott is convinced that a second Quaker Steak will work in the same spot where IHOP sputtered in the wake of COVID restrictions and changed dining habits.

"They (IHOPs) seem to do best when they are near a highway," he said.

More: Scott Enterprises opens mini golf course along Erie bayfront

More: A 13-year-old boy from Greece launched what would become Erie's Scott Enterprises

Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Former Erie IHOP location on West 12th will be Quaker Steak & Lube