Hot cakes up

“Hot cakes up!”
That is a common call from inside the International House of Pancakes (otherwise known as iHop) kitchen.
March 3 is National Pancake day. iHop celebrates by giving away free pancakes each year. This year was the 10th anniversary, and they did not disappoint.
On free Pancake Day iHop is packed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Our five-minute wait was well worth it.
On this particular day our waiter was named Rich. Rich was one of the best waiters I have ever had there with the perfect combination of southern charm and hip jokes.
When I asked Rich how long he had worked there he replied charmingly “A long time young man. This isn’t my first time around the block.”
This is the kind of service you want when you go to get some fresh hot cakes. After he had taken our order he went to each table and made charming small talk and told knee-slapping jokes. Rich gives this storied chain a mom and pop diner type feel. While eating he pulled a classic joke on my friend, Vance Brice. He tapped him on the shoulder while walking away.
The down-home home continued. While walking out a very polite woman came up to us and said “Y’all be good, and if you can’t be good then don’t get caught,” she said.
The next free pancake experience will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. If you wear green, the restaurant will provide a free short stack of pancakes.