U. SAUCON TWP., Pa. – Lobster lovers will have to wait a little longer to enjoy lobster rolls, lobster bisque, lobster mac and cheese and other fresh seafood creations at a new Lehigh County restaurant.

The opening of Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls at the Saucon Valley Promenade has been postponed until early 2025, according to a recent announcement on the mall’s Facebook page.

The opening of the new 1,500-square-foot restaurant, the chain’s first location in Pennsylvania, was originally planned for late summer.

“We know you’re excited about Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, and we have an update!” the online post reads. “Although originally planned for this summer, some delays have pushed the opening back to early 2025. Stay tuned for more details!”

The open-air lifestyle mall at 2845 Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township announced in May the opening of Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, the largest brick-and-mortar franchise known for its delicious yet affordable Maine seafood.

The new restaurant will be located in renovated space next to Slime Time and will be open daily for lunch and dinner.

“Promenade Saucon Valley has made a number of significant changes in recent months, adding several new tenants, changing its name and modernizing its seating, pavilions and signage,” said Jaclyn Palmeri, the mall’s vice president of leasing, in a May press release.

“With the opening of another popular and highly sought-after new restaurant, we are enhancing our guests’ experience as they gather and spend time downtown, making Promenade Saucon Valley one of the area’s most desirable shopping, dining and entertainment destinations.”

Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, with more than 30 locations nationwide, serves classic New England dishes made from simple recipes using the highest quality lobster meat sourced directly from the waters of Maine, the press release said.

Menu offerings include a Classic Lobster Roll (served chilled with mayonnaise and lemon butter), a Connecticut Roll (served warm with butter), a Lobster Salad Roll (served chilled, tossed with celery, mayonnaise and lemon dressing), a Lobster BLT Roll (lobster, bacon, lettuce and tomato), a Shrimp Roll (jumbo shrimp tossed with mayonnaise, celery and lemon) and a Bar Harbor Roll (choose any roll and get 50% more lobster, tail included).

Other menu highlights include lobster salad, crab salad, grilled lobster cheese, lobster mac and cheese, and lobster bisque.

Part of Mason’s appeal lies in the atmosphere of a fast-casual restaurant that offers guests “an authentic Maine experience with delicious lobster at fair prices,” the press release continues.

The restaurant was founded in 2014 by Dan Beck after working as a seafood buyer at a restaurant.

The relationships Beck built with lobstermen in Maine during this time remain central to the company’s food quality and ability to expand.

“Mason’s is excited to dock on the Saucon Valley boardwalk and offer a taste of the Northeast’s famous seafood tradition,” said Beck, founder and CEO of Mason’s.

“We are excited to join this charming community and bring our famous lobster rolls to seafood lovers everywhere by combining the simplicity of our dishes with the sophistication of our flavors.”

Join a growing list

Currently under development, Mason’s is just one of many other changes coming to the outdoor lifestyle center.

Rally House, a sporting goods store chain featuring a wide variety of apparel, gifts, home decor and other merchandise from local NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS teams, opened a new location on July 26 between Barnes & Noble and J.Crew Factory.

In addition, two more new restaurants are scheduled to open at the center in the coming months: The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and Five Guys Burgers & Fries.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, which serves a selection of authentic Greek dishes prepared in Greece using family recipes passed down for generations, is scheduled to open later this summer, according to co-owner Chris Nagy.

The 2,500-square-foot restaurant, located between Komé Fine Japanese Cuisine and Lashes by Gab, will be the chain’s first location in Pennsylvania.

Menu highlights include gyros with beef/lamb or grilled chicken, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), hummus, tzatziki, falafel, avgolemono soup (Greek lemon chicken soup with rice), salads, rice bowls and souvlaki platters.

Nagy runs the Upper Saucon restaurant with his wife, Marcia Nagy.

“I’m a huge fan of Mediterranean food and visited The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill in New Jersey when I went to my son’s tennis match and I just loved the food,” Chris said. “The whole concept – the service, the type of food on the menu and the way everything looked and tasted – was something I knew would be a perfect fit in the Lehigh Valley.”

Five Guys Burgers & Fries, a family-owned franchise restaurant group known for its hand-crafted hamburgers made with never-frozen beef and fresh-cut boardwalk-style fries cooked in 100% peanut oil, is scheduled to open in the next few months between the European Wax Center and uBreakiFix.

Based in Lorton, Virginia, Five Guys is known for its freshly made burgers that can be customized with free and unlimited toppings, including lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, jalapeños, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, relish, and barbecue and hot sauces.

The chain uses only fresh ground meat and there are no freezers in the restaurants, only refrigerators.

Founded in 1986, the company also sells milkshakes, hot dogs and fresh BLT, veggie and grilled cheese sandwiches.

The Saucon Valley Promenade will also soon be home to the SmARTivities Showcase, an artist market and makerspace designed to “make creativity accessible to all.”

The new 3,000-square-foot SmARTivities Showcase location, which will feature handmade gifts, art supplies and a pottery studio with opportunities for classes, camps and more, is scheduled to open in October between Elite Salons & Suites and The Promenade Pop-Up Shop, said SmARTivities founder April Tennille Khalil.

SmARTivities Showcase has been operating at 60 Centre Square in downtown Easton for six years, and the location on the Saucon Valley Promenade will be a second location, Khalil said.

SmARTivities Showcase is designed as an inclusive space for all ages and abilities, with a strong focus on personalized teaching methods.

The goal is to provide a welcoming environment where everyone can explore their creative side through a variety of activities and services including pottery classes, open studio hours, paint your own pottery, craft and take home, classes and parties, artist markets and exhibitions, art supplies and more.

“We are expanding and will focus on more activities and classes on the promenade, but will continue to provide space for artists to exhibit and sell their work,” said Khalil.

“We will definitely continue our artist market and have artists who can rent space to exhibit and sell their work. We pride ourselves on the fact that everything we sell is handmade. We work directly with the artists, most of whom are local.”

Also moving into the Saucon Valley Promenade will be Pandora, a popular jewelry brand that designs, manufactures and sells handcrafted jewelry made from high-quality materials. The brand is expanding and doubling its current retail space.

Set to open in early fall in Suite 616 between Altar’d State and Sleep Number, the new store will feature the latest EVOKE design. This innovative layout includes a central island surrounded by wall sconces that beautifully showcase Pandora’s collections.

The current Pandora store will remain open until the new premises are completed.

Promenade Saucon Valley, which opened in 2006 with more than 70 tenants, announced a “brand refresh” in April that included a name change from its original name, “The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.”

The new name drops the word “Shops” from the name to reflect the center’s growing tenant mix and its increasing focus on becoming an increasingly popular community gathering and meeting place, a press release said.

The brand refresh also includes a new color palette as well as a number of enhancements including new soft seating in Town Square and the Patio and Breezeway, an upgrade to the gazebo, a freshly painted star on the Pop Jet fountain, sunshades over the outdoor amphitheater seating, and new signage enhancements throughout the building in the fall.

In addition to Rally House, other tenants at Promenade Saucon Valley, which opened earlier this year, include J.Crew Factory, a fashion retailer known for its fun, classic and colorful styles for women, men and children; Slime Time II, a family-friendly entertainment venue where children of all ages can make their own slime; and Fulton Bank, a Lancaster-based bank that offers a wide range of financial products and services in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.

Tenants coming to Promenade Saucon Valley in 2023 include Club Champion, a custom golf club fitting company, Turning Point, a breakfast and lunch restaurant, FD Market, a sustainable produce and refill store, and Batch Microcreamery, which offers premium hand-crafted ice cream.