Mayor Phil Kramer cuts the ribbon at the recently renovated iHop on Easton Avenue. Looking on, from left to right, are restaurant manager Amanda Sporman, and owners Rakesh Kumar and Varinder Kumar.

The iHop restaurant on Easton Avenue Oct. 14 celebrated its new interior with a ribbon-cutting, cake and free short stacks.

Mayor Phillip Kramer was on hand to do the ribbon-cutting honors, as the restaurant’s management and staff looked on.

Kramer also cut a large sheet cake, pieces of which were served to surprised customers.

Free orders of short stack pancakes were also given to the first 100 customers of the day.

Rakesh Kumar, who owns the business with his brother, Varinder, said that the renovation took about a week.

“We closed it down for about six days last week and remodeled the whole thing,” he said.

A carpet that had been damaged by flooding was removed and replaced with wood tiling and a new drop-ceiling was installed, as were new walls.

“This is the newest design by iHop,” Kumar said. “It’s more modern and upscale.”

Kumar, who also owns iHop restaurants in Hillsborough, Howell and Neptune, said he’s having a special Thanksgiving day celebration this year in the Easton Avenue location.

The restaurant will be open for regular business from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., after which, he said, he will be providing free turkey dinners for those who would otherwise not have one.

Transportation issues for those with none have yet to be worked out he said.

“We just want to invite people to come and have a turkey dinner,” Kumar said. “We did it in Neptune last year.This year, we’ll do it in Neptune, Somerset and maybe Hillsborough.”

“We like to be part of the community, whatever way possible,” he said.