The Recipients: Hanover Pancake House

Photos by Emma Highfill, Rose Wheat Photography

Since 1969, the Hanover Pancake House has been a well-loved downtown rendezvous point for friends and families catching up over comfort food and tourists visiting the Capitol. When the stay-at-home order came through in March, Scott Albrecht initially thought the restaurant he’s owned since 1999 would be closed a couple of weeks before daily life returned to normal.

“I soon realized we were going to be without income for much longer,” he said. “I was off for five weeks and all but about three days of that time I was researching options for programs, grants and loans to ensure we’d survive.”

GIFT CARDS MADE PAYROLL

The HOST (Helping Others Support Topeka) program purchased $3,000 in gift cards from the establishment in April, enabling Albrecht to make payroll and get employees their last checks. With taxes due and “an avalanche of things to juggle,” Albrecht said the funds from the HOST program and other sources “arrived just in time to let us see a little light at the end of the tunnel.”

A $5,000 grant from the HOST 2 initiative, came through as Albrecht was working with vendors to secure $15,000 to $18,000 in inventory to reopen.

“My vendors wanted something to demonstrate that we had some cash flow, and the grant gave them peace of mind that we were going to be able to keep this place going,” he said.The restaurant offered carryout and curbside service April 27th before the dining room reopened May 4th. 

PATRONS FUELED CONFIDENCE

Relying on social media to keep the community updated, Albrecht said he was gratified by encouraging posts from people “saying they couldn’t wait for us to get back because they needed their pancakes or omelets or pancake wraps. It gave me confidence.”

When the restaurant reopened, there were new things to consider to alleviate patrons’ safety concerns. Albrecht and his team positioned tables for social distancing, installed barriers between booths and lined bottles of hand sanitizer up with the salt and pepper shakers.“

We’re doing everything we can to find ways to make people feel more comfortable,” said Albrecht. “If we can make the public feel safe and help heal their minds through all this, then they’ll be more likely to come back and also more open to visiting other restaurants.”

Several patrons have used gift cards received through the HOST program to purchase meals at the pancake house, and Albrecht and his 25 employees, who also received a pack of five gift cards each, have done the same.

Albrecht and his wife recently visited Rees Fruit Farm to redeem one.

“Those gift cards were a lifeline, and it was nice to catch up with the staff there while buying fruit and nuts and other things like Cherry Jubilee cider, something we’d never had before,” he said. “And, of course, we had to have an apple slush for the ride home and fight the brain freeze. It was all worth it.”