Tuesday, February 24, 2009
By Don Shilling
Customers will be asked for a donation to children’s hospitals.
Free pancakes are expected to draw big crowds today at local International House of Pancakes restaurants.
“We’re expecting to be busy from the time we open the door until we lock up at night,” said Rich Cecil, general manager of the Niles IHOP.
It’s National Pancake Day, which means each customer receives three free pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant chain asks for a donation to children’s hospitals.
Cecil said the Niles restaurant normally gives away about 300 orders when IHOP runs this promotion. He figures the number will be much higher this year with the local economy struggling.
He has increased his staff by 25 percent.
Michael Paolucci, general manager of the Boardman IHOP, said he is going all out to ensure the restaurant has a smooth day. On a normal Tuesday, he has 12 employees per shift. Today, he has between 27 and 30 scheduled for each shift.
“We’re staffing like it’s Saturday morning all day,” he said.
He added that some customers probably will be coming to IHOP for the first time and he wants to make sure they leave with a good impression.
Paolucci wasn’t at the restaurant last year but said he is expecting overflow crowds based on the number of phone calls he has received.
Cecil said Dan Campbell, the franchisee who operates 12 restaurants in the region, wants each one to raise $1,000 for charity. Money donated locally will go to Akron Children’s Hospital.
IHOP said restaurants nationally raised a total of $875,000 last year, and this year’s goal has been set at $1 million.
The money is donated to Children’s Miracle Network, a group of 170 hospitals that are focused on providing medical care and research. Funds raised from the pancake promotion are used by the hospitals for new equipment, patient services, research programs and health education.
The California-based restaurant chain said it has raised nearly $2 million since starting National Pancake Day in 2006.
It said it selected the day before the start of Lent because the day is known as Pancake Day in many English-speaking countries.
The tradition began centuries ago when strict dietary rules prohibited the eating of dairy products during Lent. A large supply of pancakes would be made on the day before Lent in order to use up supplies of milk, eggs and butter.
shilling@vindy.com