The Original Pancake Kitchen’s new owners have big plans for Adelaide’s 24-hour restaurant
THE Original Pancake Kitchen has new management who say there are some big changes in store. What will become of the Adelaide institution?
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THINGS are about to get a shake-up at The Original Pancake Kitchen.
The iconic 24-hour restaurant has new owners who say they hope to make the 52-year-old Adelaide institution cool again.
Proprietor Mark Sandgren, whose family took over the venue in late March, said changes would include new menu offerings, beer on tap and a servery facing Gilbert Place for takeaway coffee.
He said they also plan to convert unused office space into a live music venue.
“Everybody has heard of the Original Pancake Kitchen – people have been, but they haven’t been for the last 20 years,” he said. “My goal is to try and talk them into trying it again.”
Mr Sandgren said new savoury food additions would take inspiration from American-style diners.
“We’ve added a fryer, so we are going to have fish and chips on our new menu as well as burgers, fries, chicken wings and schnitzels,” he said, adding that they would also have vegetarian and vegan options.
“We can do virtually everything on our menu – except for the steak – vegan. That community is growing and we have to respond to that.”
Mr Sandgren said they plan to tap into the weekday lunch rush, as well as the AFL football crowd.
“We don’t get the people working in office areas coming in for lunch,” he said.
“Why not come here as well? Our price point is very good for lunches, we’re talking about $12-$15, and that is what we want to maintain.
“We also want to promote the fact we are a licenced venue – we’ve got one of the oldest liquor licenses in the state.”
Diners can also rest assured that the venue’s “sticky tables” – caused by years’ worth of spilt syrup – are a thing of the past.
“My rule number one: stop with the sticky tables,” Mr Sandgren said.
“That was a real problem when I first came before we purchased it.”
Pancake Kitchen shift supervisor Alison Chapman-Obichukwu said the changes were “very exciting”.
“We definitely needed some more savoury items on the menu,” she said.
But Kitchen devotees need not fear, for Mr Sandgren has vowed to keep the original pancake recipe.
“That is the secret recipe that goes back 52 years and is kept in a locked vault,” he said, adding that the venue would also keep its “quirky” look.
“I don’t want to change the feel.”