Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
P.J. Whelihan’s ready to open in Malvern
It will be the company’s 20th overall restaurant with more planned for the region
The P.J. Whelihan’s chair of restaurants will open its latest site on Monday in Malvern.
CHARLESTOWN » The owners of P.J. Whelihan’s are opening their 15th PJs and 20th overall restaurant on Monday.
Owners of the new restaurant at 12 General Warren Boulevard near Malvern expect it to become a popular spot with workers in the nearby Great Valley Corporate Center and residents in the growing mixed use Atwater community, said Chris Webb, director of operations - Pennsylvania for the P.J.W. Restaurant Group.
The parent company also operates Pour House, ChopHouse and Treno Pizza Bar restaurants but P.J. Whelihan’s is its dominant brand.
“We are actively trying to expand in the Delaware Valley,” Webb said. “That’s our goal, to continue to grow our regional presence.”
The restaurant will open at 11 a.m. Monday and will operate from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, Webb said.
“We are actively trying to expand in the Delaware Valley. That’s our goal, to continue to grow our regional presence.” — Chris Webb, director of operations - Pennsylvania for the P.J.W. Restaurant Group
The owners will monitor visits to see if it should stay open that late or close earlier in the future, Webb added.
The newest P.J. Whelihan’s is part of Charlestown Village, a new dining, retail and travel hub anchored by a Residence Inn by Marriott and brings more than 80 full- and part-time jobs to the Great Valley area. The 8,289-square-foot restaurant has two outdoor patios and two fire pits, Webb said.
The restaurant was designed
by Stokes Architecture Design. It accommodates 250-seated guests with an additional 36 seats at the bar. An all-weather four seasons room is available for private parties of up to 50 guests and is outfitted with multiple televisions. A total of 54 televisions are spread throughout the restaurant.
Whelihan’s describes itself as a neighborhood pub.
“We concentrate on what we do best: wings, beer and burgers,” Webb said. “We feel like that’s been the key to our success. That and staying with what we know in terms of this area.”
The Malvern restaurant’s food offerings are consistent with the other 14 P.J. Whelihan’s throughout southern New Jersey and Pennsylvania. P.J.’s wings in 12 sauces, plus the “wing of the month” sauce is a top seller. Favorite dishes include Loaded Tater Tots and Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos alongside an extensive bar operation with cocktails, canned and bottled beer and 48 taps. Six of those beers on tap will be dedicated to local craft beers.
“That’s one of the things we love to do, partner with the local breweries,” Webb said.
Webb called the area of the newest P.J.’s an emerging market, with shoppers from Uptown Worthington, workers from nearby corporate centers and Atwater residents likely to make up its clientele of regulars .
“Atwater is popping,” he said.
The Malvern location will also offer the Dine + Donate program in which local organizations can raise funds by receiving a portion of a specific day’s sales when guests associated with the group dine at the restaurant.
“If you told me 34 years ago, when I opened my first restaurant, that I’d have 19 more today, I don’t think I would have believed it,” said Bob Platzer, president and CEO of P.J.W. Restaurant Group and 2017 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year recipient. “We’re very careful in how we choose future locations and I couldn’t be more excited to bring P.J. Whelihan’s to Great Valley.”
Webb said the next PJs will open in Newtown Square in December. Another will open in Lancaster next April.
Three other deals are in the works and may be announced within weeks, he said.
Headquartered in Haddon Township, New Jersey, the P.J.W. Restaurant Group was founded in 1983 by Bob and Donna Platzer.