To fully understand how one selects the best pancake, one must understand the selection process. The judging of each restaurant was determined by a rubric written by myself, print Editor-in-Chief Meredith Comas and Trending Editor Hannah Heger. The rubric included five factors: restaurant experience, presentation, flavor, texture and price. We applied it to an order of plain pancakes with neither butter nor syrup and a plate of what we called “waiter’s choice.” Each place was scored on a scale of 0-10, which individually we ranked to later calculate the average score of each factor. From there, we calculated each restaurant’s overall composite score, which determined their overall ranking of worst to best.. 

Denny’s: 4

To begin our pancake journey, went to Denny’s. The waitress was nice, but the overall restaurant experience wasn’t very pleasant. The environment didn’t seem very welcoming and the service was slow. The pancakes themselves looked like a standard plate of pancakes. The “waiter’s choice” was an off-the-menu item, which included a double stack covered in vanilla icing and strawberries. The presentation for these dishes was shocking. The icing looked exactly like white gravy. The gummy texture of the pancakes didn’t pair well with so much moisture and when all was said and done, we were notably unimpressed. The only high marks Denny’s managed to achieve were their price points. At essentially $1 per pancake, Denny’s was the most economical option out of all the restaurants we went to. If you’re not a picky eater and don’t want to fork out the big bucks when the check comes, Denny’s is the restaurant for you.

IHOP: 7

IHOP is one of the better known pancake places in town and immediately as I walked in, I noticed the homey, inviting atmosphere. The pancakes I was served were truly and genuinely classic. They were fluffy and flavorful, making it the first restaurant where we ate the entire plate. For the “waiter’s choice,” we were recommended their seasonal pumpkin pancakes, which tasted great too. It was the perfect reminder of what the fall season brings in terms of comfort. Although it wasn’t the cheapest option available, the quality of the food made up for the added expenses. Overall, IHOP still remains to be the classic restaurant it always has been, making above average pancakes for above average people.

Early Edition: 8

The best thing about Early Edition is that it’s local to Manhattan. Between two locations, it serves a wide variety of Manhattanites looking for a solid breakfast spot. We were welcomed to a very homely environment, but because we walked in right as brunch began, we did have to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. However, the pancakes the pancakes made up for the wait. First of all, just one pancake was about as big as three regular sized ones from IHOP. It was also sprinkled with powdered sugar and it looked the most tempting out of all the pancakes. The “waiter’s choice” were their chocolate chip pancakes, which tasted fantastic as well. The regular pancake wasn’t too sweet and having chocolate included didn’t overpower it at all. When it came to paying for them, the price seemed more than reasonable. $3.50 for one pancake may look like a lot, but since it really only takes one pancake to satisfy one’s hunger, I’m not mad at it. For anyone who loves to support local businesses, Early Edition is the perfect place.

The Chef: 5

Like Early Edition, The Chef has the local ties that can only be found within the walls of our town. Although the space is small, it’s familiar and welcoming and puts out every effort to serve you. The only downside to our experience there was the hour-long wait, and even then we were seated at the bar. However, it’s hard to complain about something that was easily preventable on our part. The pancakes we ordered were simple, and although the regular ones didn’t impress much by appearance, they did impress on the flavor. The small hints of cinnamon enhance its overall taste of something that can be eaten just fine on its own. However, the taste alone isn’t one to be celebrated. If a dish had to be covered in syrup in order to be salvaged, then it’s clearly missing the essential element that makes it worth eating. The “waiter’s choice” was their specialty menu item — the “Pancakes Bananas Foster.” With both of these dishes, the texture was slightly disappointing. Just by themselves, they were a little bit dry and chewing them was reminiscent of eating a spoonful of peanut butter. While the regular pancake option wasn’t that expensive, the overall price for that and the bananas foster dish added up. For people who appreciate the feel of a small-town diner and aren’t afraid to pay an expense for mediocre food, then The Chef is the place to go.

Although the effort we put into obtaining these results have yet to be beneficial to us personally in any way, I hope they were beneficial to you. Of course, our palettes are entirely different than everyone else’s, so there’s every possibility that the only purpose we served was displaying our perspective on a commonly enjoyed breakfast, which hopefully you’ll keep in mind the next time you eat a pancake. I cannot speak for my fellow judges, but for myself, I can say that I will not join you. If I ever eat another pancake in the next year, then it will have been too soon.