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Original Waffle Shops Change Ownership After 52 Years

Two popular breakfast and lunch spots in the State College area are entering a new era as their owners of more than half a century begin the next chapter of their lives.

John and Lisa Dimakopoulos have sold the Original Waffle Shops at 1229 N. Atherton St. and 1610 W. College Ave. in Ferguson Township to Chris and Michelle Paret, State College residents of more than 20 years, according to a news release from Keystone Real Estate Group.

“After 52 years, it is simply time to reflect on our lives,” John Dimakopoulos said in a statement. “We hope to enjoy time with our family, our friends and our community from the other side of the service counter.”

The Dimakopouloses said they’ve been planning the decision to step away for a few years. They discussed sales with several interested parties but ultimately selected the Parets because of their ties to State College, experience owning and operating restaurants, and how they “expressed humility in the opportunity they would have as curators of the institution known as The Original Waffle Shops.”

“Our focus was to find a new owner who would continue in a manner we believed served the customers, the community, and the employees well, and maybe even better,” the Dimakopouloses wrote.

Chris Paret began working in the restaurant industry as a teenager and has owned multiple Subway franchise locations in State College, Brookville, and DuBois. The Parets are Penn State alumni and have two children.

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to John and Lisa for trusting me with the Waffle Shop tradition they have lovingly built over the past 52 years,” Chris Paret said. “We are excited to carry on this treasured legacy and look forward to ensuring that The Original Waffle Shops remain a cherished gathering place for the Happy Valley community and its visitors.”

The Dimakopouloses and their restaurants have become a State College institution, making the Original Waffle Shops a family affair, along with their son Ryan.

“Together they gave us their lives with their contribution to our community,” Keystone Real Estate Group wrote.

John Dimakopoulos, who also created The Greek restaurant behind the North Atherton Waffle Shop, immigrated to the United States from Greece in 1960. After making his way to State College, he worked at several restaurants owned by Ted Cocolin before opening the first Waffle Shop downtown with Cocolin’s encouragement.

The success of the first Waffle Shop led to the North Atherton Street location, followed by one in Bellefonte and finally the West College Avenue restaurant. In 2004, Dimakopoulos sold the downtown State College and Bellefonte locations to focus on the North Atherton and West College restaurants under the moniker The Original Waffle Shops.

“There is no one thing,” Dimakopoulos told StateCollege.com columnist Bill Horlacher in 2024 about his restaurants’ success. “There’s no secret weapon. It’s the little things that we care about.  We talk about fresh, fast, and fun, and we mean it. We want the food to be fresh, we want to be fast for our customers, and we want to have fun doing it. And it’s the consistency. We don’t give up. Things don’t always go smooth… We might be shorthanded today. But we don’t get discouraged; we just say, ‘Let’s try it again.’”

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About the Author

Geoff Rushton (StateCollege.com)

Geoff Rushton is managing editor for StateCollege.com. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter at @geoffrushton.

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