A pancake house, pancake and waffle house or waffle house is a restaurant that specializes in breakfast items such as pancakes, waffles, and omelettes, among other items. Many small, independent pancake houses, as well as large corporations and franchises, use the terminology in their establishment names, most notably the International House of Pancakes (IHOP), Waffle House and The Original Pancake House. Most pancake houses are dine-in, although most will offer carry-out as well. Many are open until around 3 a.m. Exceptions to this are large chains such as IHOP and Denny's, which are usually open 24 hours. Some independent pancake houses are found in strip malls, or exist as stand-alone structures that have been re-fitted, such as a closed-down diner or retail store.
Pancake houses in the United States may offer various pancake styles, such as buttermilk, buckwheat and sourdough, along with pancakes blended with fruit, nuts and chocolate. They will also commonly offer different styles of pancakes which originate in different parts of the world, such as German pancakes, Swedish pancakes, Dutch Apple pancakes, crepes, 49er's flapjacks, and others, as well as Belgian waffles, buttermilk waffles, and French toast. In addition, a wide variety of breakfast foods are common at pancake house restaurants, which includes grits, oatmeal, omelettes, egg dishes, [1] breakfast meats such as bacon and sausage, [1] and combinations such as pigs in a blanket and eggs benedict. [2] Some also offer lunch items such as chicken, steak, chili, [1] salads, hamburgers and sandwiches. [3]
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, some pancake houses offer up to 70 pancake varieties. [4] In Holland, a region in the western part of the Netherlands, some pancake houses serve poffertjes, [5] a traditional Dutch batter treat that resembles small, fluffy pancakes. Moreover, Dutch pancakes are generally eaten as full lunch or dinner meals, and not as breakfast items like in the United States.
Some examples of pancake house restaurants in the Netherlands include Bunnik, [6] Lage Vuursche, [6] The Pancake Bakery, [7] Boerderij Meerzicht [8] and De Carrousel. [4]
In Denmark there is a restaurant chain where pancakes and ice cream are offered. It is called Rasmus Klump Familierestaurant, after the Danish character "Rasmus Klump", whose favorite meal is pancakes.
There are many pancake houses in existence throughout the United States. [1] Some restaurateurs in the United States have focused on offering breakfast foods for consumers to eat at times of the day other than in the morning, to make pancake and waffle houses more competitive. [9]
Some U.S. cities have a significant number of pancake houses. For example, Williamsburg, Virginia, has the highest per capita ratio of waffle and pancake houses in the world. [10] Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has a significant number of pancake houses, numbering over 10 in a two-mile distance. [11] The Grand Strand, a large stretch of beaches on the East Coast of the United States that consists of over 60 miles of beach land, has been noted for having a considerable number of pancake houses. [12]
As of 2012, Cracker Barrel, whose menu is based on traditional Southern cuisine with appearance and decor designed to resemble an old-fashioned general store, operates 620 stores in 42 states. As of 2006, Denny's has 1,600 restaurants. [13] IHOP has over 1,550 total locations in the United States and in other countries. [14] Waffle House is a restaurant chain that has over 1,500 locations in the United States. [15] The Original Pancake House has over 100 franchise restaurants in the United States, [16] and in Portland, Oregon, where it was founded, it has been open since 1953. [16] [17] It is known for offering a wide range of breakfast dishes and items. [18] Sears Fine Food, a pancake house in San Francisco, California, [19] has been serving Swedish pancakes since 1938. [17] In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Beverly's restaurant (now named Beverly's In The Rough) opened as a pancake house on May 19, 1921. [20] The restaurant still prepares pancakes from scratch. [20]
Brunch is a meal, sometimes accompanied by alcoholic drinks, taken sometime in the late morning or early afternoon – the universally accepted time is 10am-1pm. The meal originated in the British hunt breakfast. The word brunch is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch. The word originated in England in the late 19th century, and became popular in the United States in the 1930s.
A greasy spoon is a small, cheap restaurant typically specializing in fried foods. The term greasy spoon has been used in the United States since at least the 1920s to describe diners and coffee shops, and is presently used throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to refer to British and Irish cafes. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term greasy spoon originated in the United States and is now used in various English-speaking countries.
A pancake is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter, and then cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan. It is a type of batter bread. Archaeological evidence suggests that pancakes were probably eaten in prehistoric societies.
Waffle House, Inc. is an American restaurant chain with over 1,900 locations in 25 states in the United States. The bulk of the locations are in the Midwest and especially the South, where the chain is a regional cultural icon. The menu consists mainly of Southern breakfast food. Waffle House is headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Denny's Corporation is an American table service diner-style restaurant chain. It operates over 1,700 restaurants in many countries.
Walker Bros. is a series of pancake houses in the Chicago area. They developed as a franchised spin-off of The Original Pancake House, founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1953 by Les Highet and Erma Hueneke; the Walker Bros. version has been in business for over 45 years. Like the original, they are known for their apple pancakes, French toast, and omelettes.
Chicken and waffles is an American dish combining chicken with waffles. It is part of a variety of culinary traditions, including Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine and soul food, and is served in certain specialty restaurants in the United States. Originating as a Pennsylvania Dutch meal, the dish has received notability in the Southern United States.
The Golden Nugget Pancake House is a chain of family restaurants originally launched in Florida but now operating exclusively in Chicago, Illinois. Some of the restaurants serve breakfast 24 hours a day, and their decor generally has a Western motif.
A breakfast sandwich is any sandwich filled with foods associated with breakfast. Breakfast sandwiches are served at fast food restaurants and delicatessens, sold in supermarkets, or commonly made at home. Different types of breakfast sandwich include the bacon sandwich, the egg sandwich, and the sausage sandwich; or various combinations thereof, like the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. The breakfast sandwich is related to the breakfast roll.
The Original Pancake House (TOPH) is a chain of pancake houses across the United States. They have franchises in Canada that started in 1958 and are still operating. They have recently expanded into both Japan and South Korea. They follow traditional recipes and ingredients for their pancakes but offer other standard diner fare as well. They also have a spin-off, Walker Brothers Pancake House, which has a similar menu, but with a formal ambiance.
Dine Brands Global Inc. is a publicly traded food and beverage company based in Pasadena, California. Founded in 1958 as IHOP, it operates franchised and corporate owned full-service restaurants including three restaurant concepts, Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, International House of Pancakes (IHOP), and Fuzzy's Taco Shop.
The Amsterdamse Bos is an English park or landscape park in the municipalities of Amstelveen and Amsterdam. Although most of the park is located in Amstelveen, the owner of the park is the City of Amsterdam. The park was mainly built in the early 1930s, mostly by the unemployment relief. Because of World War II interrupting the building process, the last tree was not planted until the 1970s. Annually, almost 4.5 million people visit the park, which has a size of 1,000 hectares and is approximately three times the size of Central Park in New York City. It houses a number of animal parks, sporting clubs, rowing courses, gardens and remembrance monuments.
IHOP Restaurants LLC is an American multinational pancake house restaurant chain that specializes in American breakfast foods. It is owned by Dine Brands—a company formed after IHOP's purchase of Applebee's, with 99% of the restaurants run by independent franchisees.
A pancake breakfast is a public meal attached to many festivals, religious celebrations, and community events which involves volunteers cooking large quantities of pancakes and other hot breakfast foods for the general public, often for free or for a nominal charge if the event is a fundraiser.
Breakfast, the first meal of the day eaten after waking from the night's sleep, varies in composition and tradition across the world.
Chace's Pancake Corral is a family-owned restaurant in Bellevue, Washington, United States. Established in the 1950s, Chace's is the city's oldest restaurant.