BIDDEFORD JOURNAL TRIBUNE – A Denny’s restaurant is slated to open next year at 45 Boulder Way in Biddeford.

Denny’s spokeswoman Jillian Hutwagner, an account manager with marketing firm EP+Co, said in an email that there are plans to open a Denny’s restaurant at 45 Boulder Way.

The location is just off the Exit 32 on the Maine Turnpike at the site of a former Ruby Tuesday restaurant which has been vacant since August 2016. The location is close to the Walmart Supercenter and a short distance away from the Biddeford Crossing shopping center.

The new restaurant is tentatively scheduled to open in June 2019, said Hutagner.

“That’s great to hear,” said Biddeford + Saco Chamber of Commerce + Industry Executive Director Jim LaBelle in a telephone interview.

LaBelle said a national chain restaurant that’s been successful for many years opening a new location in Biddeford is a testament to the appeal of the area.

“It’s another indicator that the Biddeford-Saco region is a destination attracting new investment and growth,” said LaBelle.

Hutagner said she was unsure whether the development would renovate the current building or if it would involve new construction.

Denny’s is a diner-style restaurant chain that began with a doughnut stand in 1953 in Lakewood, California.

Today there are more than 1,700 franchised, licensed and company-owned Denny’s locations world wide, according to information from the company’s website. The restaurants serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and are open 24 hours a day.

Other Denny’s restaurants in the state are currently located in Portland, Auburn, Bangor, Augusta and Ellsworth.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 780-9015 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.