Walker Bros. is a series of

pancake A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...

houses in the Chicago area. They developed as a franchised spin-off of The Original Pancake House, founded in Portland,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, 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 French toast is a Dish (food), dish of sliced bread soaked in beaten eggs as food, eggs and often milk or cream, then pan-fried. Alternative names and variants include eggy bread, Bombay toast, gypsy toast, and poor knights (of Windsor).''Oxfo ...

, and omelettes.

Awards and recognition

The restaurant was recognized by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' as one of the "Top Ten Pancake Restaurants in the Nation." Zagat recognized them as Chicago's "best breakfast – bar none" and the "north and Northwest suburban family favorite." ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

'' magazine presented them with the Critic's Choice Award for the "best breakfast" around. The restaurant has also been recognized by AOL Cityguide in 2006 and 2007 for "City's Best Breakfast" (Chicago). They received the "Gold Cup" from Superior Coffee Company, a coveted award of excellence. Chef and food critic James Beard, who grew up in Portland, named The Original Pancake House as one of the top ten "best" in America. In 1999, the Original Pancake House in Portland was designated by the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is an American non-profit culinary arts organization based in New York City. It was named after James Beard, a food writer, teacher, and cookbook author. Its programs include guest-chef dinners to scholarships for asp ...

as a regional landmark restaurant.

In popular culture

Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates wrote the song "Rich Girl" about Victor Walker, Jr., an heir to Walker Bros. Hall changed the lyrics from "rich guy" to "rich girl" because it sounded better. It was released in 1976. The 1980 feature film '' Ordinary People'' features a scene at a Walker Bros. pancake house. Walker Bros. was also mentioned in the 2004 feature film '' Mean Girls''. In 2010, Dick Portillo, the founder of Portillo's Restaurants in Chicago opened Honey Jam Cafe, a fast casual breakfast restaurant modeled after the ambiance and menu of Walker Bros.

References

External links

* * * Restaurants in Illinois Restaurants in Chicago Restaurants established in 1960 Pancake houses 1960 establishments in Illinois {{Chicago-struct-stub

Awards and recognition

In popular culture

See also

References

External links