Wawa’s coming, but what about Golden Corral? Centre County July business roundup

Matt Hymowitz
·3 min read

July brought news of future business openings, plus more details about Centre County’s first Wawa and the possibility of a Golden Corral. Here’s a look at the month in local business happenings:

Openings and launches

  • Sarah Bryan opened a bakery and cafe, Sweets of Gold on Mill Road in Milesburg, which offers cakes, cookies, cupcakes, coffees and teas.

  • Tiny Tavern Cafe opened in what used to be the bottle shop at Red Horse Tavern in Pleasant Gap. The cafe serves breakfast foods and assorted coffee drinks.

  • Tasty K, a Korean fried chicken restaurant, plans to open Aug. 21 at 325 E. Calder Way, State College. The restaurant will only offer takeout, owner and Penn State alumnus Andy Lee said.

  • Coffee, Hemp & Tea, 313 W. Foster Ave., State College, will hold its grand opening from 2-6 p.m. Aug. 19. The shop, owned by Angel and Nia Rodriguez, made a soft opening in April.

  • Wawa formally submitted plans to the county for a gas station/convenience store to be built at Benner Pike and Eagle Point in Benner Township. The 6,606-square-foot facility will have 16 fueling stations and will be the fourth gas station on the Benner Pike.

‘Gas wars.’ 5 things we know about Centre County’s first Wawa location and what’s next

  • The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and Mr. Sticky’s signed leases to take over the former My My Chicken space in the Westerly Parkway Plaza in State College. The Mediterranean restaurant and purveyor of sticky buns are both expected to open in the fall.

  • Golden’s Corral’s chief development officer told the CDT that the restaurant chain is interested in opening a location in the State College area. The next step is finding the right franchisee to develop the market, Golden Corral’s David Conklin said.

  • Rediscover State College, a marketing effort that aims to draw people to the borough, launched a clothing and apparel line. It includes T-shirts, hats, mugs and totes with sayings such as “I only shop after kickoff” and “I ran the rapids at Spring Creek.” Visit rediscoverstatecollege.com/shop for more about the collection.

  • CNB Bank held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a private client solutions office at 1960 Old Gatesburg Road in State College. It’s the Clearfield-based bank’s first State College location and offers services to help individual and business clients meet their financial goals in areas such as private banking, trust and estate planning, retirement accounts and planning, and wealth and asset management. The office will be led by Private Banking Officer Travis Snyder, a State College native with more than 20 years of experience.

CNB Bank. along with the Chamber of Business and Industry Centre County, hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at its new Gatesburg Road office in State College on July 27, 2023.
CNB Bank. along with the Chamber of Business and Industry Centre County, hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at its new Gatesburg Road office in State College on July 27, 2023.

Business people

SilcoTek named Gary Barone its new president and “head coach.” Barone took over for company founder Paul Silvis, who remained with the company as board chairperson. SilcoTek, which spun off from Restek, provides coating services and is based in the Benner Commerce Park in Bellefonte. Barone joined Restek as a research and development chemist and helped established SilcoTek in 2009.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to serve SilcoTek’s employees and their families as we continue on our journey to becoming an even greater company,” Barone said in a press release.

Gary Barone
Gary Barone