Mention Dundee fixtures and you’ll likely think Dens, Tannadice, the McManus, the V&A and the dragon that snarls at you in the Murraygate.
But every Dundonian will have sweet memories of another less obvious, but no less important destination, The Pancake Place.
Since 1973, The Pancake Place has offered teas, coffees, breakfasts and of course pancakes to hundreds of thousands of people.
It has seen much larger, brasher Reform Street competitors come and go, witnessed two Overgate revamps and provided sustenance for students, shop workers and office staff alike.
And one thing a lot of people ask — how does it endure?
Fond memories of Pancake Place
Central to the success of the Pancake Place is Sam Wilson, the restaurant manager.
She has worked there for more than 30 years, starting as a Saturday girl and working through university, before eventually running the shop.
Owners have come and gone, the current boss is Perth businessman Blain Ross, who took over the restaurant at the start of the year.
But Sam remains, and she is proud of the cross-section of society who visits the restaurant, adding it is difficult to define who or what a Pancake Place customer is.
“There is still a lot of nostalgia for the Pancake Place.
“We get an awful lot of customers who say they used to come here when they were wee, that their Granny would bring them in and there is a lot of good will for the place.
“I don’t think there is a particular demographic here, we get a good cross-section. Everyone likes to come here.
“There is a good student population so we do get quite a few in, but across the board I wouldn’t say there was a particular type of customer.”
Fresh pancakes and big breakfasts
What maybe does set the café apart is its pancakes.
Taking a look at the menu, customers are offered a wide array of food, breakfasts, sandwiches and meals.
But the pancake stands out, as Blain explains, and are made fresh in store to order.
“Our pancakes are made fresh to order, straight off the griddle. The batter is made fresh each morning.”
He credits this for drawing people in. The recipe has remained unchanged since opening day, 1973.
“As money gets tighter, breakfast is the first thing that feels the pinch — people will stay at home and eat cornflakes.
“But if people are out and about, floating about the town or shops, being able to come somewhere family friendly, with our price points where they are, it is an attractive draw.”
Sweet pancake dishes like banoffee continue to be the most popular dishes, but Blain said they would not shy away from the growing interest in savoury styles like chicken siracha, going forward.
“There are a few eateries on Reform Street, there are some large competitors, but it is on us to bring people in. We will always welcome more people through the door, and offer more take-away options too.”
Pandemic and cost-of-living difficulties
The Pancake Place is not immune to the pitfalls of High Street retail.
Like nearly every other business in the city, the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis hit hard.
Coupled with a decline in footfall, fewer customers come through the doors.
But despite this, Sam remains faithful people will still come in.
“There’s not as much footfall in the city centre that there once was.
“If you go out into the city centre, half the time it feels like a ghost town.
“There’s not enough of a reason to come into town, unless you want to go to a specific shop.
“But for us, there is an increase in competition. There are coffee shops opening up left, right and centre.
“The Pancake Place used to be open 8am-8pm, we used to get passing morning trade, but that has tailed off.
“And after the pandemic, we took the decision to stay 9am-5pm.
“There is not much of a night-time draw to this end of town, most of the night-life is up the Perth Road.”
Blain adds: “Our main move going forward is to drive our quality of product even higher. That is how we want to move in the near future.
“If the customer’s want to spend, and are prepared to spend, then they want good value. And we want to make this place just that wee bit special.”
Dundee Matters
The Courier has recently launched an initiative aimed at finding solutions for the city centre’s problems – Dundee Matters.
Our first focus is on the high streets and as part of that we are looking for you to have your say in our survey.
Your responses will help guide our high street summit we are set to host this May. It is event with a focus on finding solutions which can help reverse the trajectory of the city centre.
