City Council Monday approved the transfer of the liquor license for Applebee’s Grill & Bar in Logan Valley Mall to the restaurant’s proposed new location in the former Bob Evans location on the 300 block of Plank Road, near the Martin’s supermarket.

Council approved the transfer from Logan Township to Altoona in keeping with the state Liquor Code, which allows for license transfers between municipalities in the same county, provided the receiving municipality approves.

The restaurant’s ownership group hopes to open at the new location in late October, after renovating the Bob Evans building, according to Mark Figurelli, senior director of real estate for the Flynn Restaurant Group, working on behalf of Applebee’s.

Applebee’s is moving from the mall to a standalone structure because operations within malls are no longer “traditional” for the chain, according to Figurelli.

“We prefer to be out front, freestanding, where (potential customers) can really see us,” Figurelli said, after a hearing on the request that preceded council’s approval. Such locations also ensure that Applebee’s isn’t overlooked amidst “mall (pedestrian) traffic,” he said.

Such a policy favoring freestanding operations has prevailed within the company for at least 10 or 15 years, Figurelli said.

The current lease at the mall runs out in 2023, he said.

Applebee’s expects that about 75 employees, comprising full and part timers, will work at the new location.

Everyone currently working at the mall restaurant is expected to transfer, he said.

There will be seating for 185 customers, said attorney Mark Kozar of Flaherty & O’Hara in Pittsburgh, representing BT Woodlipp LLC, a subsidiary of Apple America Group LLC, which owns and operates 442 Applebee’s in 26 states.

Applebee’s is a “family-friendly” restaurant with responsible management that plays no loud music, Kozar told council in the hearing.

It serves alcohol only as a “complement to the food, not the main attraction,” Kozar said.

The restaurant at the Bob Evans location will feature Applebee’s “new look,” according to Figurelli.

It will be one of the first 10 restaurants in the country with that look, he said.

“Thanks for making an investment in the city,” said Mayor Matt Pacifico.

It’s pleasing tht liquor law changes have made municipality-to-municipality transfers within the same county easy to accomplish, said Councilman Bruce Kelley.

In past years, the city has lost many liquor licenses through transfers, Kelley said.

That trend is reversing, he said.

“It’s good for the tax base,” Kelley stated.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.