Pancake Breakfast
- Floater/Supervisor
- Ticket taker – Plates and Napkins
- Runner
- Mixer
- Grillers
- Sausage Person
- Syrup & Butter Person
- Clean up person(s)
Materials
- Blackstone Grills
- Tables
- Propane tanks
- Dual Propane fittings (Option)
- Batter Bowl(s)
- Wisk(s)
- Four cup measuring cups for transport and pouring of batter.
- Syrup squeeze bottles – Walmart ~ $1 each.
- Paper plates for service 8.5” size
- Grillers should come with their grills, pancake turner and anything necessary to clean the grill.
- Tin trays and aluminum foil for sausages
Food
- Vegetable oil spray for grills
- Better than Boullion Beef, or 2C beef stock or bouillon
- Sausages – Brown n Serve – Walmart 50 count package. $7 a bag – 25 two (2) sausage servings
- Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix 10# bag $10 makes 200 pancakes – Seventy (70) 3 pancake servings.
- Kirkland Signature Organic Pure Maple Syrup, 33.8 oz – $15 – twenty (20) servings –
- Butter – Generally two pounds of butter for 200 people. The key is to cut the butter into pats, and NOT put out all the butter at once.
Procedure
Floater/Supervisor
The floater/supervisor is responsible for walking around and observing how things are going, and reporting to the person in charge. If there is a need, the F/S can resolve it quickly, but the goal is not to engage in a task, but to monitor the whole process and pass information on to the appropriate person.
Ticket Taker
The ticket taker collects Pancake Breakfast tickets if used, distributes a plate and napkin, and directs breakfasters to the nearest available grill.
Mixer(s)
The mixer(s) should be supplied with two mixing bowls, a whisk, a spoon, a measuring cup, pancake mix, water and a towel. The mixer is only expected to mix, the runner is the individual who distributes the batter to the grillers and reports back to the mixer what the grillers have to say about the batter.
The Mixers should be located out of the traffic of people obtaining pancakes. They should be, if possible, at the rear of the grillers, and within sight distance.
Runner
The runner controls the rate at which the pancake bater is mixed. The runner distributes the batter to the grillers and relays any instructions to the mixer. The runner is in charge of requesting the Mixers to change the consistency of the batter.
The runner should assist the grillers in the timing of grilling the pancakes. No customers; don’t make pancakes. Loys of customers, speed up mixing. If the grillers don’t slow down because there is no one in line, don’t provide them with batter.
Grillers
The grillers should be set up in a single row so that people can walk down the line to a grill that has pancakes ready/almost ready. People are willing to wait for a fresh pancake rather than a steam table pancake. Grills should be set on high. Pancakes should be about 4” in diameter. (no one will measure). Pancakes should only be given to people with the correct paper plate.
When there are few people on line, the grillers should NOT make pancakes in advance. Grillers will need a grill, table and a fuel source. Every effort will be made to provide dual supplies for grills to minimize the amount of propane bottles required. The person in charge should point out those grillers that are making exceptional pancakes to the other grillers.
Sausage Person
The sausage person distributes two (2) cooked sausages. The sausages are browned slightly on a grill ahead of the pancake line opening, (take care not to burn them; they burn easily) and placed in an aluminum foil serving tray, with a cup of Beef bouillon or beef stock in the bottom. The liquid prevents the sausages from drying out, keeps them warm in a steamy environment. It also makes them taste better. The sausages should be kept on a low temperature setting, or the bottom of the aluminum tray will burn. Add broth as required.
Syrup & Butter Person
The syrup and butter person is responsible for filling the squeeze bottles full of syrup and making sure that there is butter. Two (2) quarter pound sticks of butter are suggested. Placing more out at once ensures that all will be partially used. Placing the original syrup containers out at the same time ensures that ALL the syrup containers will be opened. The syrup lasts longer and can be refilled off/used at another breakfast if they are not all opened. fille the squeeze bottles. Less syrup is wasted. Three squeeze bottles are sufficient. Refill as appropriate, attempt to avoid having two large containers open at the same time. The syrup tends to mold after it’s opened.
Notes
Ideally, there should be a meeting the evening before to make sure that there are enough grills, tables and equipment. The procedure for the following morning should be QUICKLY reviewed. Set up in the morning takes about 30 minutes to get the grills set up, propane connected, and grills brought up to temperature. Grillers and others should be provided with the opportunity to have breakfast before the event starts. Grillers should be reminded not to attempt grilling pancakes until the grill is hot enough.
Grills should be hotter than anyone likes. Pointing out the two or three people who are properly grilling pancakes works well. If the grillers get ahead of the crowd, throw the pancakes out. No one likes steam table pancakes, and there is no reason to do that.
Feed everyone who is helping before the crowd arrives. It guarantees that everyone gets practice, and that everyone has something to eat, and will be fed (food before it runs out).