Iron Oven is expanding out of its Southampton flagship and into downtown Hatboro, taking over the long-troubled 58 S. York Road building with a fall opening on the calendar. The 16,000-square-foot space will be roughly 80% larger than the original restaurant, and ownership plans to use every inch of it, including a full production bakery built out on the lower level.
Owner Alex Nalbandian has had his eye on this particular corner of Hatboro for years. As reported by WhatNow, he first tried to acquire the property back in 2023 after its previous tenant collapsed, but lost out on the lease to another operator before he could finalize a deal. Now, per Patch, that multi-year pursuit has finally paid off.
A Building With a Rough Recent History
The address has not been kind to restaurateurs. Bernie's Restaurant & Bar operated there until a June 2023 raid by the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement shut it down for selling alcohol without a valid permit, according to the same Patch report. Ross & Co. Kitchen, Taps, Cocktails moved in next, opening in May 2024 and closing in June 2025 after roughly 13 months, leaving the building vacant for about a year before Iron Oven stepped in.
Hatboro Borough Manager Diane Hegele has publicly welcomed Iron Oven's arrival, saying municipal officials have provided resources and guidance to help the business establish a long-term presence in town, the report notes. That kind of backing follows a stretch of turnover that has left the corridor's biggest storefront cycling through operators.
Bigger Kitchen, Bigger Ambitions
Nalbandian was 26 when the Southampton flagship opened eight years ago on Street Road, where Iron Oven now employs about 110 people. He told WhatNow the Hatboro expansion had always been part of the plan and that he feels more prepared heading into this second location than he did the first time around.
The Hatboro build-out will keep Iron Oven's signature feel while adding more event and catering space than the original location has room for. A woodworker is crafting a large wooden Hatboro sign for the space, and a metalworker is building an eight-foot-wide American flag to hang on the wall, alongside other decorative touches, per WhatNow's reporting.
Downstairs, the new production bakery marks a genuine departure from the original restaurant's setup, as Glenside Local reports. Long rolls will still be baked on-premises using family stromboli recipes that trace back more than 30 years to Rising Sun Pizza, the Northeast Philadelphia shop Nalbandian's father, Samuel, opened in 1983 and that Alex managed for nine years before launching Iron Oven in 2018, according to background reporting from Medium.
Same Menu, New Address
Diners expecting a reinvented menu can relax. The Hatboro location will keep the existing food and cocktail menus intact, including staples like center-cut filet mignon, baby back ribs, jumbo crab legs, wings, handhelds, burgers, wraps, flatbreads and pizzas, per WhatNow. Each location will also roll out its own specials.
Tackling Parking Before It Becomes a Problem
Parking along South York Road has been a recurring headache for downtown businesses, and Glenside Local's report details how Nalbandian is trying to get ahead of it. The plan includes new directional signage pointing customers toward municipal lots, along with an optional complimentary valet service that texts diners when their car is ready.
The expansion also lands amid a broader push to revitalize downtown Hatboro, including new transit-oriented housing along the SEPTA line. Hoodline previously reported that the 102-unit Station at Hatboro development recently secured financing and began leasing, adding residential density that could bring more foot traffic to York Road storefronts.
Iron Oven's team expects to settle on the building in mid-September, with construction beginning shortly after, according to WhatNow. The company is targeting a late-October or early-November opening, giving Hatboro a chance to see whether the added bakery, event space and parking fixes can succeed where two previous tenants could not.
