Magic Pan
Encyclopedia
The Magic Pan was an American chain of full-service restaurants specializing in crêpe
s, popular in the late 1970s through early 1990s.
in San Francisco, California
, by Hungarian immigrants Lazlo and Paulette Fono.
Lazlo Fono is generally recognized as the man who invented the crepe making machine used in the chain's restaurants, starting in the mid-1960s.
The Quaker Oats Company acquired Magic Pan from the Fonos in 1970, and it became the company's primary restaurant chain. Quaker Oats sold the company to an Oakland, California
-based company, Bay Bottlers, in 1982, at which time there were 110 Magic Pan locations throughout the United States
and Canada
. Bay Bottlers, a Royal Crown/Canada Dry affiliate RC Cola, brought in Kim Andereck as the company's Senior Vice President in 1985. Andereck engineered and implemented an operational strategy that made the Magic Pan profitable over the next three years by tightening management controls, closing underperforming locations, introducing popular entrees and converting some outlets to other food styles, i.e. "Frogg Lane" and "Magic Chicken." However, the crepe fad was in decline by the late 1980s, and by 1995, the last remaining Magic Pan restaurant in McLean
, Virginia
, was phased out of business.
The concept was re-introduced by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises as a fast-food crepe stand in Northbrook, Illinois
, in 2005. This resurrected version of Magic Pan does not have the crepe-making machine, instead using recreations of the original recipes. The revived chain opened a second location in the food court
of the Mall of America
near Minneapolis, Minnesota
.
, chicken divan
, crepe suzette
, strawberries and sour cream, chantilly, and "cherry royale".
Crêpe
A crêpe or crepe , is a type of very thin pancake, usually made from wheat flour or buckwheat flour . The word is of French origin, deriving from the Latin crispa, meaning "curled". While crêpes originate from Brittany, a region in the northwest of France, their consumption is widespread in France...
s, popular in the late 1970s through early 1990s.
History
The Magic Pan restaurant company was started at Ghirardelli SquareGhirardelli Square
Ghirardelli Square is a landmark with shops and restaurants in the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco, California, USA. A portion of the area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Pioneer Woolen Mills and D. Ghirardelli Company....
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, by Hungarian immigrants Lazlo and Paulette Fono.
Lazlo Fono is generally recognized as the man who invented the crepe making machine used in the chain's restaurants, starting in the mid-1960s.
The Quaker Oats Company acquired Magic Pan from the Fonos in 1970, and it became the company's primary restaurant chain. Quaker Oats sold the company to an Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
-based company, Bay Bottlers, in 1982, at which time there were 110 Magic Pan locations throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Bay Bottlers, a Royal Crown/Canada Dry affiliate RC Cola, brought in Kim Andereck as the company's Senior Vice President in 1985. Andereck engineered and implemented an operational strategy that made the Magic Pan profitable over the next three years by tightening management controls, closing underperforming locations, introducing popular entrees and converting some outlets to other food styles, i.e. "Frogg Lane" and "Magic Chicken." However, the crepe fad was in decline by the late 1980s, and by 1995, the last remaining Magic Pan restaurant in McLean
McLean
MacLean, McClean, or McLean can refer to:- Places :Australia* Maclean, New South Wales* Maclean Island, TasmaniaCanada* McLean Island , Nunavut* McLean, SaskatchewanUnited States of America...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, was phased out of business.
The concept was re-introduced by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises as a fast-food crepe stand in Northbrook, Illinois
Northbrook, Illinois
Northbrook is a village located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, which is also a North Shore suburb of Chicago. The population was 33,170 at the 2010 census....
, in 2005. This resurrected version of Magic Pan does not have the crepe-making machine, instead using recreations of the original recipes. The revived chain opened a second location in the food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
of the Mall of America
Mall of America
The Mall of America, also called MOA and the Megamall, is a shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities, in the United States. It is located southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and is across the...
near Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Menu
Among the menu items were crêpes filled with spinach souffleSoufflé
A soufflé is a light baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert...
, chicken divan
Chicken Divan
Chicken Divan is a chicken casserole usually served with broccoli, almonds, and Mornay sauce. It was invented at and named for the by-gone Divan Parisienne Restaurant in the New York Chatham Hotel....
, crepe suzette
Crêpe Suzette
Crêpe Suzette is a French dessert consisting of a crêpe with beurre Suzette, , a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice, zest, and Grand Marnier or orange Curaçao liqueur on top, served flambé.-Preparation:...
, strawberries and sour cream, chantilly, and "cherry royale".
Production
The restaurant designed an automated system to make crepes at a crepe station, consisting of a motorized conveyor that would heat metal pans. An attendant would dip the bottom of the pans in the crepe batter, to ensure an even coating.Popular culture
- In the King of the HillKing of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, episode titled "Ho Yeah!Ho Yeah!"Ho Yeah!" is the 97th episode of the Fox TV animated comedy King of the Hill. It was the 13th episode of the fifth season, although it was the 15th produced. On Fox, this episode is rated TV-14-D.-Plot:...
" (Season 5, episode 13), Peggy befriends the new Strickland Propane receptionist Tammi (guest voiced by Renee ZellwegerRenée ZellwegerRenée Kathleen Zellweger is an American actress and producer. Zellweger first gained widespread attention for her role in the film Jerry Maguire , and subsequently received two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her roles as Bridget Jones in the comedy Bridget Jones's Diary ...
), a former prostitute from "The OKC" (Oklahoma CityOklahoma cityOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, Oklahoma), and they dine at a Magic Pan restaurant. Peggy orders Crêpe Suzette. - In "The English Patient" (Season 8, episode 17) and other SeinfeldSeinfeldSeinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
episodes, recurring character, Izzy Mandelbaum, operates a chain of crêpe restaurants, the Magic Pan.
External links
- Magic Pan Crepe Stand - official website
- - Magic Pan Alumni website on LinkedIn
- The Magic Pan Project - Magic Pan Employee Social Network