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It's been a tough time locally for breakfast-focused restaurant chains: Village Inn recently closed two Colorado Springs-area restaurants, Denny's left town all together a few years ago and Perkins did the same before resurfacing with a single location.

But amid those departures, IHOP continues to expand in Colorado Springs.

A franchisee that operates six Springs-area IHOPs plans to build a seventh this year southwest of InterQuest and Voyager parkways on the city's busy north side.

Jason Perry, who operates the franchise along with his father, Chris, and brothers Justin and James, said his family hopes to break ground on the nearly 4,900-square-foot InterQuest IHOP in the spring. They're scheduled to complete the purchase of the 1-acre site in March and are targeting an opening by year's end, although the restaurant could debut as early as August or September, Jason Perry said.

It would join IHOPs operated by the Perrys at 2290 Southgate Road; 5749 Stetson Hills Blvd.; 6450 S. U.S. 85-87 in Fountain; 6005 Constitution Ave.; 3090 N. Chestnut St.; and 3167 W. Colorado Ave. The family also has locations in Pueblo and Cañon City. The restaurants employ about 350 people.

The Perrys don't operate the IHOPs at 512 N. Chelton Road, across from The Citadel mall, or at 8065 N. Academy Blvd., near the Chapel Hills Mall.

The Colorado Springs market has been ripe for IHOP's expansion for a number of reasons, Jason Perry said.

The closure of a Village Inn in the Springs last year and another in Monument on Jan. 24, along with the loss of Denny's and most of the Perkins, means a greater opportunity for IHOP, Perry said.

"It's easier to expand in a market when your primary competition is nonexistent," he said, though other local, regional and national breakfast-centric restaurants still operate in Colorado Springs, such as Waffle House, Omelette Parlor, First Watch, Snooze and Urban Egg. And Village Inn, whose parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week, still has five area locations.

IHOP's brand is a big part of the chain's success, too, Perry said. The International House of Pancakes, as it was known for many years after its founding in 1958 in suburban Los Angeles, has about 1,700 locations around the world. Most locations are franchised and many are open 24 hours, according to IHOP's website.

"IHOP is part of Americana to a certain extent," Perry said. "People are familiar with it to the point where they love it. It seems like they love it just by default because it's just so ingrained in our culture, to a certain extent. Movies mention it. People laugh about it on late-night talk shows. It's kind of just one of those familiar American things."

Perry said his family's IHOPs also are positioned to capitalize on the Pikes Peak region's growth and tourism.

The InterQuest location, for example, will be in the heart of one of Colorado Springs' fastest-growing commercial areas; In-N-Out Burger, outdoor retailer Scheels All Sports and the Great Wolf Lodge and Water Park are among high-profile names at InterQuest or coming soon.

At the same time, InterQuest and the Powers Boulevard corridor, where the Perrys have two IHOPs, are surrounded by thousands of homes, many of which are occupied by newcomers to the area.

"We have a lot of transplants coming in from Texas and California," Perry said. "There are just dozens, if not hundreds of IHOP restaurants in California and Texas. So it's a familiar brand to a lot of the people who are coming here."

The Perrys also have located IHOPs near area hotels. At least eight hotels have been built or are the drawing board in InterQuest, while the Chestnut Street location is next to a Best Western Plus Executive Residency.

"Typically, people who go stay in those types of hotels are not going to go to grocery stores and make a sandwich at their hotel room," Perry said. "They're going to go out to eat, and you need restaurants around hotels for that reason."

IHOP is best known for its pancakes, and you can find them and other breakfast items throughout the day, Perry said.

But its menu also features burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and a variety of dinner entrees, among other items. IHOP gained a measure of national notoriety in 2018 when it changed its name to IHOb, although the temporary rebranding was just a marketing campaign to promote its burgers.

"We're really trying to make it a restaurant where anybody who comes in can find something that they like, for what they're willing to spend," Perry said.

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IHOP expands in Colorado Springs as other breakfast favorites close

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It's been a tough time locally for breakfast-focused restaurant chains: Village Inn recently closed two Colorado Springs-area restaurants, Denny's left town all together a few years ago and Perkins did the same before resurfacing with a single location. But amid those departures, IHOP continues to expand in Colorado Springs.