Benny’s Diner will open on November 19 and 20 ahead of the 2022 grand opening

Benny’s dinner is expected to have a smooth opening on November 19 and 20 with a grand opening scheduled for January.

The restaurant is the newest venture from Penn Student Agencies and will serve breakfast at its Houston Hall location. It was originally scheduled to open in the spring of 2020, but was delayed due to the university’s sudden closure in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like other PSA businesses, it remained closed last school year.

The two-day Soft Opening will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to midnight this Friday and Saturday. Benny’s will offer a limited number menu omelets, waffles, pancakes, coffee and milkshakes.

The restaurant was originally slated to open earlier this semester around Halloween weekend, said Eleni Pisinos, a college sophomore and executive director, but they were unable to do so for various reasons, including lack of ’employees hired.

The need for more employees came to light as many board members and employees graduated before Benny’s could officially open its doors.

“A lot of people, like those who founded Benny’s, graduated last year. And then a lot of people who were hired left the team, like they’d been hired almost two years ago now and maybe they didn’t want to work anymore, or actually got their job. graduation, so that’s where our problem lies – a lot of the former team members never got to work because of COVID-19, ”Pisinos explained.

Earlier this semester, Benny’s and Class Board 2024 hosted a Event to celebrate the end of the first month of school where they distributed pancakes to members of the 2024 class. More than 600 pancakes have been made and distributed, Pisinos said.

As one of the college presidents on the 2024 Class Council, Pisinos pitched the idea for Benny’s to host an event when she heard that someone was looking for breakfast vendors for the event. Benny’s was ultimately chosen as the supplier because of its low prices and accessibility.

“It has worked really well because part of the reason Benny’s exists is to have affordable prices for the student body,” Pisinos said. “So when they decided between different vendors, Benny’s had the best price and had a lot of accessibility. Since we’re in Houston, and the event was under the Penn Commons tent.”

Pisinos, whose family owned a restaurant they worked at, said she had a good knowledge of how to organize events and wanted to incorporate that more into Benny’s goals.

“My family has a restaurant and I was there literally the day after I was born – I grew up there, working every day. So catering events [was] something that I was very familiar with, so I guess it’s something that I’m trying to fit in since I have experience of it, ”she said.

Pisinos said she was excited about the next smooth opening, which will serve as preparation for the eventual grand opening.

“This weekend it’s mostly about getting to know Benny’s and letting people know, and it also gives us a chance to solve problems and stuff like that because a lot of our students haven’t worked in. a kitchen, ”she said. .