Mr. Stax Inc. plans several more area IHOP franchises

A company that owns three of the four IHOP restaurants in northern Nevada last week inked a deal to develop several more in the area.

Yet to be determined are the locations of the new IHOP outlets.

The stores will be owned by Mr.

Stax Inc., a company that owns 42 IHOP franchises in Nevada, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York.

Mr.

Stax signed a deal with IHOP to develop seven new stores in Reno, in part of El Dorado County, California, and in Boston during the next five to eight years.

Stacy Roughan, director of investor relations for IHOP in Glendale, Calif., said Mr.

Stax is scouting locations for the new IHOP locations.

The company expects to open the first store under the new agreement in the second half of this year.

Franchisees currently run two IHOP locations in Reno, one in Sparks and one in Carson City.

Three of those locations are franchised by the principals in Mr.

Stax, Roughan said.

Mr.

Stax is owned by Richard Sandnes and Rod MacPherson.

Sandnes, an IHOP franchisee for 32 years, previously worked in senior management for the company.

MacPherson, an IHOP franchisee for 37 years, has been with the company since it was launched as International House of Pancakes and once served as the company's president.

Publicly held IHOP and its franchisees operate 1,149 restaurants in 48 states and Canada.