Elizabeth City's newest restaurant was quickly on its way to becoming a favorite local hangout within a few hours of opening on Tuesday.

Among IHOP's customers were the Evans family who had been on their way to a downtown restaurant when they saw IHOP's open sign on Halstead Boulevard Extended and turned around.

Staff photo by Justin Falls (ENLARGE)

Waitress Karen Martin-Rogers carries out four plates of food to customers in International House of Pancakes during the store's grand-opening, Tuesday.

At another table, two state corrections officers on their way home from the night shift were staking out their table for future visits.

"We're going to make this our spot here," one of the officers said.

The Evans family had just ordered, complete with a chocolate chip pancake for son Dalton, 7.

David Evans said his family has wanted another breakfast place in the area for years. April Evans was pleasantly surprised; she had expected a long wait for service.

Restaurant owner and developer Jonathan Reas said no one was kept waiting early Tuesday morning. The 170-seat restaurant was about three-quarters full, and he expected it to become busier as the afternoon wore on. Workers arrived at 6 a.m. and by early morning were working at a steady clip.

Bette Murphy, of Hertford, and her visiting son, Chris Snee, both ordered the Two-by-Two-by-Two — a meal of two pancakes, two bacon slices and two eggs.

"I think it's, you know, an asset to Elizabeth City," she said. "The young woman that we have serving us is so pleasant."

Reas said he'd heard a number of local residents say they were happy not to have to travel to Virginia to visit an IHOP.

"A lot of people in the city say they've been needing something ... like this for a while," he said.

At one of his four Virginia restaurants, customers from North Carolina were frequent guests.

"We noticed that there was a lot of room for growth here," he said.

New menu items piloted at this restaurant include the Tuscan chicken griller, bacon temptation omelette and butterscotch pancakes. The building itself is from the newest IHOP design called IHOP ICON.

"We enjoyed opening," he said. "We met a lot of nice people in Elizabeth City. The southern hospitality has been great down here."

In about three months, IHOP hopes to begin hiring for the late night shifts when it is open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. He said the restaurant currently has openings for the day and dinner shifts. The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and can be reached at 252-337-9838.