Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
There are certain words that, when uttered, can send a shockwave of pure, unadulterated excitement through our household. “Pancakes” is one of them. For a while now, our six-year-old and three-year-old have been campaigning for them with the dedication of seasoned lobbyists.
So, when we saw a promotion running yesterday for The Pancake Parlour, we made a snap decision: tonight was the night. It was the perfect opportunity to satisfy their cravings without the wallet taking too much of a hit.
We knew it would be busy, a good deal in Melbourne waits for no one, so we hatched a plan to try and beat the inevitable dinner rush. Step one: pick up the kids a bit earlier than usual.
Grabbing our six-year-old from after-school care was a breeze. The moment we mentioned our pancake plan, his eyes lit up. Success. The promise of fluffy, syrup-drenched goodness was already working its magic.
Next, we picked up our three-year-old from childcare. As always, we were met with a flurry of hugs and cuddles. All was well… for about thirty seconds. This is when we encountered our first mishap. In what I can only assume was a fit of pure, pancake-fuelled excitement, she had completely forgotten to go to the toilet. She has only just started her transition from nappies to undies, so it is understandable that accidents can still occur, quite frequently in fact. But just the timing of it was exquisite. Nappies to undies, its a fun time for any parents to look forward to! Just be glad its more number ones than number twos…
So, there we were, having the unique joy of changing a toddler’s pants and undies in the cramped confines of the car. A fun and slightly damp exercise to kick off the evening. But we knew the game plan, so onwards we say.
I’d love to say the drive to The Pancake Parlour was uneventful, but that would only be true if your standard for “uneventful” involves the chaos of two small children. For the entire trip, a relentless barrage of questions echoed from the back seat, a true symphony of sibling curiosity:
- “Are we really having pancakes?”
- “What type of pancakes?”
- “Why are we having pancakes?”
- “Are we there yet?”
- “How much longer?”
- “Is there going to be ice cream?”
This monologue was, of course, punctuated by a few tears. I’m not entirely sure what the argument was about, it may have been pancake-related, or it could have been about something entirely imagined up on the spot. By that point, I had zoned out, focusing all my mental energy on the singular goal of getting us to our destination in one piece. Zoning out, perhaps a self preserving skill that that I’d developed over time, its definitely a useful skill when dealing with two over active kids!
We arrived to find our fears realised. It was already packed, with a queue snaking out the door. My heart sank. “Oh no,” I thought, “there is no way the kids will have the patience to wait for thirty minutes or more.”
Thinking fast, I sent my partner and the kids off to wander through the nearby shops while I held our spot in the queue, bracing myself for a long wait. But then, a miracle happened. A staff member suddenly waved a huge influx of people in, and the line evaporated before my eyes. I quickly called my partner: “Get back here! It’s happening!”
There was a bit of whinging, they were having fun exploring, but the lure of pancakes was too strong to resist.
For those wondering, the promotion was for The Pancake Parlour’s 60th anniversary. They were rolling back prices to what they were sixty years ago. We’re talking meals for just a couple of dollars. An incredible deal, and the source of all our chaos.
Inside the Eye of the Storm
Once seated, the next challenge began. As any parent knows, the time it takes to scan a menu is an eternity for a small child with very little patience. Hands were already flying everywhere, demanding snacks or entertainment. Luckily, we came prepared with an emergency snack stash, which they devoured in approximately twelve seconds.
Just as the hangry-whinging was about to start, we procured the holy grail of restaurant parenting, crayons and activity sheets, kindly provided by the staff. A fragile peace descended upon our table.
This bought us just enough time to place our order. And yes, it was ridiculously cheap. We ordered five sets of pancakes and two desserts for the royal sum of $17. Let that sink in. In today’s economy, $17 barely covers a single main meal. It was absolutely crazy, and we certainly weren’t complaining.
With the order in, the kids were happily scribbling away. But of course, the peace was short-lived. A new conflict erupted.
“He got the better crayons!” my daughter wailed.
Is there such a thing as “better crayons”? I’ll never know, but for the next few minutes, we were lectured on their existence and how her brother was hoarding them all. A full-scale cry session was brewing, but luckily, we were saved by the bell, or in this case, the pancakes.
Dessert First, Obviously
The food arrived, and in a stroke of chaotic genius, it all came at once. The savoury pancakes and the sweet, ice-cream-loaded desserts landed on our table simultaneously.
You can probably guess what happened next. The pancakes they’d been begging for were completely forgotten. All eyes were on the sweet stuff. Dessert comes first.
For a few glorious, uninterrupted minutes, the kids happily gorged themselves on ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate fudge. It was a moment of pure, delightful, sugar-fuelled bliss. We, the parents, were not so happy. We knew the sugar high crash was coming, but hey, we signed up for this the moment we decided to go to The Pancake Parlour. So be it.
The Aftermath
Once the desserts were demolished, the real drama began. The six-year-old, being a bit older and more experienced in the art of staying up late, eventually tucked into his savoury pancakes and seemed to genuinely love them.
His younger sister, however, did not fare so well. It was getting late, she’d had a massive sugar hit, and the crash was well and truly underway. Suddenly, she didn’t want pancakes. Even when we fed them to her, all she wanted was to wander around the restaurant or have us entertain her.
Unfortunately, the rest of us were still eating, making it difficult to do both. Miraculously, we tempted her with some bacon and eggs from one of the pancake dishes, two of her favourite foods, which was enough to keep her happily occupied for the moment. And as for the actual pancakes which she had been so enthusiastically lobbying for, left to the side and forgotten…
With the three-year-old now under management, it was the six-year-old’s turn to get up to mischief. He was starting to get full and therefore fussy. He didn’t want any more savoury pancakes; he wanted more dessert.
“Why does she get away with not eating her pancakes? Why do I have to eat mine?” The injustice was palpable. “How come my little sister always gets her way?”
Now, bear in mind, we don’t favour one child over another. But if you’ve ever tried to negotiate with a tired, sugar-crashing three-year-old, you know it’s a losing battle. Threats of taking away toys, or no TV next time are met with a high-pitched “NO!” and a flood of tears, which seems to be her standard response to most things. She’s a formidable opponent, who knows she has the upper hand.
Knowing it was a battle we couldn’t win against our tired six-year-old either, we eventually relented. With a shared look of defeat, we let him dig back into the sweet stuff.
The Finish Line
We were in the home stretch. The new strategy was simple. Shovel whatever pancakes and dessert were left into the kids’ mouths as efficiently as possible. A little insight for new parents: when you eat out, your own meal strategy is to either scoff it down the second it arrives or wait until the end and enjoy it cold. The time in between is dedicated to active child management.
Surprisingly, we finished the meal without any further incidents. Perhaps their energy reserves were finally depleted. The trip home was mostly uneventful; in fact, the three-year-old fell asleep in the car. We hurried them through showers and into bed. All was well in the world.
Final Thoughts on the Adventure
Going out for dinner with young kids is often less of a meal and more of an adventure. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. You learn the drills, anticipate the meltdowns, and get better at managing the chaos. These shared memories and experiences are the true joy of having a family. And you better believe that when they’re older, I’ll be reminding them of just how much “fun” we had.
A Quick Word on The Pancake Parlour
Celebrating 60 years is an incredible achievement for any business, so a huge congratulations to them. The promotion they ran was amazing, the meal for four that we ordered should have cost around $150 came to just $17. The food was delicious (for $17, it was one of the best value meals we’ve had in a long time), and our strategy to go early paid off, as we only waited about 10 minutes. By the time we left an hour later, the queue was enormous, with maybe 200 people waiting. It’s amazing what a good promotion can do.
A special mention must go to the staff. Even though they were getting absolutely smashed, they were professional, quick, and served with a smile. The amount of goodwill they generated that night was immeasurable.
So, a big thanks to The Pancake Parlour. The kids emphatically gave it a double thumbs up, the highest possible rating. And thankfully, no one has asked for pancakes since. I think we’re all a bit pancaked-out for now.
Treat Yourself!
Everyone loves eating out, and while it can be stressful with small kids, it really does lift the spirits. It’s expensive, but you can always keep an eye out for promotions to help with the cost of living. Amazing deals like this one are rare, but plenty of restaurants run midweek specials to drum up business. Do a little research and you can still live it up a little despite the crazy cost of living stuff. Go on, treat yourself to an adventure! (Sometimes!)
Share Your Own Adventures!
While this blog is a place for me to capture our own whimsical family adventures, the real joy comes from building a community of like-minded people who understand the beautiful chaos of it all.
We’d love to hear from you. What are some of your most memorable, hilarious, or disastrous dining-out stories with your little ones? Do you have a go-to spot here local to you that’s a lifesaver for family meals?
Please share your stories and tips in the comments below. Let’s embrace the adventure together!
