While every day is pancake day at the International House of Pancake restaurants, the franchise restaurant chain is celebrating National Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, on Feb. 27. The Kennedy Center IHOP in Union City is one of the 55 restaurants in the tri-state area that will donate 10 percent of restaurant’s total sales to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside. The Community Food Bank is one of the 200 food banks that is a member of America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization.
“We believe that giving back to the community is an essential part of doing business,” said franchise owner of the Union City IHOP Peter DeGast. “Finding ways to contribute to the neighborhoods that support our restaurants is core to our business plan.”
Pancake Day originated in the 15th Century and takes place the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, this was the last day to enjoy indulgent foods before the 40 days of deprivation required by Lent.
On this day pancakes were the meal of choice because of the meaning behind the food’s ingredients. The flour in pancakes symbolized the staff of life, the milk symbolized innocence and the eggs symbolized rebirth.
Giving back to the community
The IHOP restaurants have been celebrating March as National Pancake Month for the past 15 years with different promotions and fundraisers, this is the first year that the restaurant is celebrating Pancake Day.
However, with new centerpieces on the tables in the restaurant promoting the event for two weeks prior to Feb. 27 and radio commercials, many of the restaurant’s customers have been coming in just for the fundraiser.
“We have had some nice consumer response,” said Peter DeGast. “Some customers came just for this event.” Even without the commercials, IHOP would have had made enough sales to meet their minimum commitment of $10,000.
“Usually on the weekends you can’t get in,” said Fall, who takes advantage of the immediate seating available during the week.
On this day of feasting, IHOP decided to donate their profits to America’s Second Harvest Food Banks.
“Part of the thinking of donating to food banks was that we recognize the need,” said IHOP Regional Marketing Manager Cindy Hagerty. “The work that the food bank does is incredible.”
The Community Food Bank of New Jersey, where Union City’s IHOP will be donating, distributes more than 17 million pounds of food and other grocery products each year.
Hagerty said that each franchise would donate to a food bank that coordinated with their community. However, she added that most of the stores in New Jersey would be donating to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. The Community Food Bank of New Jersey serves 18 of 21 counties in New Jersey and 1,500 organizations. The food bank works out of a 280,000 square foot warehouse and has a southern branch in Egg Harbor Township in Southern New Jersey and three smaller banks in central New Jersey.
“[IHOP is helping to] raise the awareness to the fact that there are people in our own backyards that are going hungry,” said Director of Development at the Community Food Bank of New Jersey Kate Leonard. “These are not the people you would usually see on the welfare lines. These are working poor families.”