Old-Fashioned Pancake House Kept Tent During Pandemic: Smart Move

JOLIET, IL — Some of Joliet's sit-down restaurants scrambled this week to find a large outdoor tent in light of Gov. JB Pritzker's decision to halt all indoor dining at Joliet and Kankakee area bars and restaurants because of rising coronavirus statistics. Old Fashioned Pancake House, a Joliet West Jefferson Street mainstay since 1988, was not running around at the last minute trying to find a large tent to accommodate its guests.

All summer long, Old Fashioned Pancake House has kept its large outdoor tent in its parking lot. Pritzker's decision to disallow indoor dining at Joliet area restaurants does not make these owners happy. However, they are hoping their loyal customer base will continue to support their restaurant, perhaps more than ever, during this latest coronavirus hurdle.

"We have seating for 80 to 90 people outside. The tent has the shade," remarked Panagioti "Pano" Zografos, the son of the restaurant owner.

Pano urged Joliet area residents to patronize Old Fashioned Pancake House in the coming days, assuring them of consistency on two important things: their food and their waitresses.

Pano told Joliet Patch that like Al's Steakhouse, about a block away, his family's restaurant has always been coronavirus-free since the pandemic began six months ago.

"We haven't had any case out here," Pano said. "We are constantly sanitizing the property. But we have to do what we can to make sure our customers are safe."

Having the large outdoor tent has been a huge plus during these trying times for all Illinois food and beverage businesses, Pano said.

Old Fashioned Pancake House has always remained open during the pandemic, never once closing its doors for days or weeks at a time as a number of Joliet area restaurants opted to do at different periods during the ongoing international health crisis.

"The advantage of having this tent is that we have not shut down," he said. "We brought our waitresses to work out there. Our employees are still able to work, and we can serve our customers. We have no indoor dining, but while we're closed in the dining room, we're constantly cleaning. "

Any family meal specials?

At the moment, Old Fashioned Pancake House is offering 12 scrambled eggs, 10 strips of bacon, 10 sausage links, a big container of hash browns, five pancakes and six pieces of French toast for $35, Pano said.

If you're in the mood for a family lunch special, the Joliet restaurant at 2022 W. Jefferson St. is offering two cheeseburgers, two grilled cheese sandwiches, a large container of fries, your choice of a quart of soup or a large salad for $35.

For more about Old Fashioned Pancake House's menu options and prices, check out its website here.

During the pandemic, Old Fashioned Pancake House is staying open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. The phone for carryout is 815-741-4666. Old Fashioned Pancake House also uses Grubhub and Uber Eats to handle its food delivery orders.