Five years after opening their first restaurant, Desmin and Jania Daniels, the husband-and-wife team behind the beloved Rose Petals Café in Germantown, are set to open their second location this September in the Yorktown Plaza at Church Road and Old York Road in Elkins Park

The Daniels’ second Rose Petals Café location, which will open with a ‘waffle cutting’ at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 21^st in lieu of a ribbon cutting, will feature a ‘pay-what-you-want’ fundraiser that will benefit the Cheltenham School District’s arts programs, according to a press release.

The new 2,600 square-foot space features 75 seats — 60 inside and 15 on an outdoor patio — and can accommodate private dining for parties up to 60 guests.

“Real estate developers Peter and Jason Abrams did a search for community-focused dining concepts, and we checked all of their boxes,” said Jania Daniels. “They approached us and after experiencing our Germantown location and saw how connected we are to the neighborhood. We’re so grateful for everything they’ve done for us, and our goal is to become a significant part of the Elkins Park community.”

Desmin, 37, and Jania, 36, have been married since 2006. The two met while attending Syracuse University, and decided to plant roots where Desmin grew up. They celebrated the opening of their first Rose Petals Café on their 7^th wedding anniversary. Before entering the restaurant industry, Desmin was an engineer for Texas Instruments, as well as an educator of the Philadelphia School District, while Jania, who was raised in Washington Heights, NY, was a special education teacher. The two have three children — eleven and nine-year-old boys, and a one-year-old baby girl.

“Our plan has always been to open a handful of Rose Petal Café locations, and we were deliberate about waiting to open our second location after our five year anniversary,” said Desmin. “The Abrams’ approached us just as we were evaluating where we want to go next. We see Elkins Park as an ideal neighborhood for us to thrive in, as it’s a close-knit community which doesn’t contain a community-focused independent breakfast and lunch destination like ours. We’re excited to serve the community and raise funds for the school district’s arts programs.”

The restaurant’s name honors Desmin’s younger sister, Rose, who was murdered at the age of 27 in 2011. The loss of Rose was devastating to Desmin and his family, and it ultimately inspired Desmin and Jania to launch Rose Petals Café. “Rose’s death was what catapulted our urgency for building our legacy and being a family orientated business,” said Desmin. The two decided a community-based café allowed them to live life to its fullest and honor Rose and Desmin’s maternal grandmother, who he lived with growing up and who he credits for his love of food and cooking.

Rose Petals Café’s Elkins Park menu will mirror that of the original location, which features recipes inspired by Desmin’s grandmother, Linda Henderson. Gluten-free options are available for salads and sandwiches, as well as vegetarian options, a new line of biscuits and gravy, and the most popular dishes on the Daniels’ current menu, which include: Grandma’s Stuffed French Toast; a Southern Comfort Waffle; a Spinach Waffle topped with chicken sausage and feta cheese; Catfish & Grits; and the Classic Reuben Sandwich, which features turkey pastrami, turkey bacon, turkey ham, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on Rye. The entire menu is pork-free.

“We originally launched as a destination for waffles, but we’ve expanded our menu significantly to include pancakes, omelets, sandwiches, salads, flatbreads and inventive soul food compositions,” said Jania. “We set out to be unique and different from everything else in the market, and we feature menu items that are inspired by a multitude of cultures. Desmin helms the kitchen, while my role is focusing on service and hospitality.”

“My earliest memories of my grandmother come from when I was six, and she would cook eggs and waffles for breakfast every Saturday morning,” said Desmin. “She also prepared a full, balanced breakfast for me every morning before school. I think about her all of the time when I’m in the kitchen. She raised me, and her cooking would unite our family and anyone else who showed up to join us. She was an amazing woman, and we feel like she’s in this kitchen with us every single day.”

Rose Petals Café’s full menu can be viewed by visiting http://RosePetalsCafe.com/Menu.

Desmin and Jania said they plan to hire as many as three dozen new employees, and will be hiring locally, bringing in employees who live within a few miles of the restaurant. “We’re looking to hire nice, friendly hospitality professionals or motivated young people who want to learn the restaurant business,” said Jania. “One of our most treasured attributes since opening our original location has been ‘friendly, professional service,’ and we will maintain that focus forever. That is the core of our Rose Petals Café brand, and we are very proud of that. We’re eager to meet and train our new Elkins Park team members, and teach them hospitality skills that they’ll have forever.”

The restaurant will operate for breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday and will offer Takeout and delivery through Grubhub and Uber. The original Rose Petals Café is located at 322 W. Chelten Avenue in Germantown. Learn more by visiting http://RosePetalsCafe.com.