BUTLER TWP — Employee training is already under way for some of the people who will work at a Burger King under construction and scheduled to open in early July.

Concrete pads from previous businesses have been removed, clearing the way for site development and construction to begin for the new Burger King at 208 New Castle Road, said Grayson Patterson, vice president of PEC Management, the developer and owner.

“We’re trying to target an opening date in early July,” Patterson said.

The pads were left from two lots where a Quiznos and a car wash were located. The lots at 208 and 210 New Castle Road were consolidated into one lot, said Jesse Hines, township zoning officer.

Patterson said a slope on the property is being removed and a retaining wall is being built to increase the usable area of the 1.1-acre lot.

“We’re investing a considerable amount of money into expanding the size of the property. We’re adding a 120 foot retaining wall to make the lot bigger. We’re increasing the usable portion by 25 percent,” Patterson said.

The 2,800-square-foot building will be identical to a Burger King that PEC recently opened in Sarver where some of the staff for the new restaurant is being trained, he said. “It’s the exact same building. It will be a duplicate building,” Patterson said.

Of the 49 Burger Kings PEC owns on the East Coast, 30 are in Pennsylvania and the Butler Township restaurant will be the 31st, he said.

There used to be three Burger Kings in the Butler area and one of them, which is now the McDonald’s at Clearview Mall, was owned by Patterson’s father, he said, adding that PEC owns the Burger King on Route 8 just south of Butler,

PEC has been looking for suitable land for a new restaurant for the last five years in response to customer feedback, he said.

“Our customers wanted another one in another location. We wanted one on the north side of the city. We really set our sights on how can we give our customers what they’re looking for,” Patterson said.

The new Burger King will have nearly 40 employees and seating for 56 customers, he said.