The Herlocher family now says they will not announce the new tenants of the All-American Rathskeller and Spats Café until after the two businesses close. Last call for the Skeller is scheduled for January 27.

“An announcement is coming soon, most likely after the current tenant closes,” Sharon Herlocher said via email. “It just seems appropriate to let the current operators and the establishments, as everyone knows them, to have their moment before talking about the future.”

The family previously wrote in an open letter to the community that they planned to announce the new operators of the Skeller/Spats space by the end of 2017.

“Before the New Year, we will announce the new operators,” the letter read. “Rest assured, these Penn Staters share your passion and have great familiarity with the Skeller and its rich history.”

Owners of the Skeller and Spats announced in December they would be forced to close after the owners of the building, the Herlochers, decided not to renew their lease. The State College and Penn State communities immediately rallied around the iconic and historic Skeller, which has been open in State College since the Prohibition Era.

A petition to #SaveTheSkeller now has more than 9,000 signatures, and hundreds of people wrote negative reviews of Herlocher’s Dipping Mustard on Facebook before the company disabled its reviews section.