Adelaide’s Original Pancake Kitchen for sale: Who’ll carry on the short-stack with maple syrup and whipped butter tradition?
FOR more than half a century it’s been the go to place for pancakes in the city — its short-stack with maple syrup and whipped butter, legendary. But Adelaide’s Original Pancake Kitchen is up for sale.
- Adelaide’s Original Pancake Kitchen turns 50
- For sale: 1 Adelaide shopping centre with 23 stores, including Coles and Woolworths, and 550 carparks
A SIGN out the front of the restaurant says “this door never closes” but that could all change for Adelaide institution The Pancake Kitchen.
The iconic 24-hour late night and breakfast venue is up for sale and — for one lucky buyer — there’s a stack of opportunity.
Launched in 1965 in a burnt-out delicatessen on Gilbert Place without a menu or staff, the idea was reportedly first conceived in 1959 while Roger Meadmore and Allan Trascall were on a driving trip in the US.
Over time the popular business has expanded a number of times with the most recent expansion completed in 2012.
The 24-hour restaurant marked its 50th anniversary in May last year.
At the time, owner Julie Cane, who has run the iconic eating spot with her husband Graeme for a decade, said Adelaide City Council records mark May 12 as the first official day of trading — making it arguably Adelaide’s oldest existing restaurant.
“We’ve had it for 10 years, and mum and dad had it for 10 years themselves, so it’s been in our family for at least 20 years,” Mrs Cane said at the time.
“My parents were managers here in the 70s and I worked here in the 80s myself, as well as my sister and brother. I’ve just grown up with the place.”
The original parlour, on well-trodden Gilbert Place, was Adelaide’s first detective’s office from 1867-1869.
In 1965, Roger Meadmore and Alan and Helen Traschsel moved in to open a restaurant dedicated to pancakes, having been inspired by roadside eateries in America.
“The first menu wasn’t a menu — they said, ‘come in and tell us how you want your pancakes,” Mrs Cane said.
“It was actually a guy from The Advertiser and his wife who made the first menus — and most of it is still on the menu today.
“We have a gentlemen’s agreement with Allied Mills, they still make our secret recipe for the pancakes.”
The most popular dish has remained over time — a short-stack of pancakes with maple syrup and whipped butter.
Agent Melanie Winter says, with a history of strong sales, 24-hour licensing and a turnover in excess of $50,000 per week, it’s a fantastic opportunity.
“The Original Pancake Kitchen is a well-known business to any Adelaidean,” she says.
The sale price of the property is $1,450,000, plus stock, with the venue currently spread over six different dining areas.
It also includes an office, six storage rooms, kitchen, dish room and drinks room, with space for further extensions.
With current staff numbers of more than 30, if the iconic door of The Pancake Kitchen does close, it’s hopefully not for long.