It is a rare occasion when the only thing right about a restaurant is the food, but that is definitely the story at The Original Pancake House on Montgomery Road in Montgomery. I used to go there quite frequently years ago, but I probably only make it a couple of times a year nowadays. I feel like everything went to hell in a handbasket when the owners opened the location in West Chester; now there is also an outpost on Beechmont Avenue and the quality seems to have suffered in proportion to the lack of attention that the Montgomery location apparently receives.

I visited The Original Pancake House, or as I like to call it, OPH, last Sunday on Mother’s Day. I am sure that someone reading this thinks that that might be an unfair time to critique a restaurant. Au contraire, mon frere. I am of the belief that if a restaurant is unable to perform under pressure that it is probably just exposing the weaknesses that already exist in its systems and policies. Clearly the procedure that OPH uses on a normal day to take names and then seat customers based upon available tables is flawed. Customers must stand in line and then periodically the host or hostess will make his or her way through the line taking names. No one is allowed to walk in and put their name on a list. Why, you may be asking? Because that would make way too much sense. The tried and true system that every other restaurant in the world that doesn’t take reservations uses is way too good for The Original Pancake House. Clearly they know something that the rest of us do not. On Mother’s Day however, they were employing a hybrid mishmash of walk in and put your name on a list, the host/hostess taking names in line, and a poorly executed call ahead system. In the span of ten minutes, three different employees answered the phone and quoted wildly different wait times for call ahead seating, including one who said that they weren’t taking call aheads at all that day (which is what they should have been doing). The chaos that ensued resulted in several verbal beatdowns of the manager, who while quite friendly and polite, seemed unwilling or unable to take control of the chaos. One stereotypical entitled customer screamed that they had been waiting for over 45 minutes. Forty five minutes! Oh the humanity! We waited well over an hour, which seems fair on Mother’s Day, but the disorganized manner in which tables were being seated did them no favors in the customer goodwill department. Did I also mention that most of the employees manning the front desk were all well under 18 years old and had no idea how to prioritize customers standing in line to pay, hungry/angry waiting patrons and a telephone that was ringing off the hook? Any restaurant that places its fate solely in the hands of teenagers is asking for a disaster. (And disaster they got.)

While we were waiting, I had plenty of time to notice the woefully outdated décor, including ripped booths, hideous wallpaper and lacy curtains. Its not like the restaurant needs bulldozed, mind you, just someone to care just a little bit about its appearance as much as they clearly care about the food. If you can make it through the nightmare of a wait and can avert your glance from the hideous décor, the food is actually outstanding.

All of the items are made to order, so it is quite common to wait 20 minutes or more for your food once you have placed your order. But by some magical happenstance, no one at my table ordered anything that took longer than 5 minutes to prepare. Either that, or someone else ordered the exact same thing that we did and is still sitting there waiting for their food.

I almost always order the Chocolate Chip Pancakes or the Almond Cinnamon French Toast. This time was no exception as I opted for the pancakes. They are a medium fluffiness with chocolate chips baked inside as well as garnished on the top and are also dusted with powdered sugar and served with whipped cream. Sinful is the best word that I can use to accurately describe them. And filling. I usually don’t eat again until dinner when I have breakfast here. As my friend said who ordered the Almond Cinnamon French Toast, it is almost a work of art. The presentation is almost as gorgeous as the taste of the crunchy almonds paired with the cinnamon and sugar. Others at my table ordered Banana Crepes and Minced Ham and Eggs with cheddar cheese and seemed as enthralled as I was with my meal. And to her credit, our server did an outstanding job of soothing tired and hungry customers once they were seated in her section. I almost forgot how awful everything else was until I stood in line for an eternity to pay for our meals. I hate to harp on this point, but when so many other restaurants get it right, its very difficult to even care about the ones that don’t, no matter how delicious the food. Sorry OPH, I won’t be back for a while.