National Pancake Day

This year, National Pancake Day is February 13, 2024. Wait, make that February 28th… Hold on, it might be September 26th?!

One would not expect a pancake to be the center of a controversy, but here we are. Let’s get into it!

Breakfast Sweets  |  Cobble Hill  |  1000 pieces 

Since 2006, iHop has celebrated National Pancake Day by offering guests a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes with the goal of raising millions of dollars for the Children’s Miracle Network and other local charities.  

IHop’s National Pancake Day began as a fundraiser associated with Fat Tuesday.  Historically, those observing the Lenten season were forbidden to eat egg and milk products starting on Ash Wednesday, so households made heaps and stacks of pancakes on Tuesday to use up all the ingredients … hence the name, Fat Tuesday.

I personally called the iHop customer relations pancake hotline and confirmed that this year’s iHop National Pancake Day was Tuesday, February 13, 2024.  I'm sorry if you missed it!

But, in breaking news, outside sources claim that National Pancake day is September 26th. Organizers of this National Pancake Day revealed that the celebration was originally called Lumberjack Day and was created in 2005 by two women looking for an excuse to eat pancakes with friends.   

The name was eventually changed from Lumberjack Day to National Pancake Day to honor pancakes and to increase its popularity. The Lumberjack Association could not be reached for comment.

While reporting on this story, our anonymous tip line received a call stating, “Now I’m not trying to start trouble, but rumor has it that National Waffle Day is August 24, 2024”.  

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Sources close to the anonymous caller hotly pointed out that while pancakes have been around for more than 30,000 years, their many aliases such as flapjack, hotcake, battercake,  slapjack, and johnnycake make them a highly suspect breakfast food.   Additionally, they pointed out that waffles have the ability to hold more butter, syrup, and toppings and clearly are the superior breakfast choice.  Organizers are in talks with Denny’s to develop a Free Waffle Day in direct competition with iHop.

 It was at this point in our investigation that Pop-Tarts entered the chat.  

Pop Tarts Party  |  RoseArt  |  1000 pieces  

There is speculation that a National Pop-Tarts Day may be on the horizon.  The recent 2023 college football bowl season brought us the new Pop-Tarts Bowl with the first edible mascot.

Perhaps it’s best at this point to stay out of the controversy and celebrate National Hot Breakfast Month, which fortunately for us takes place the entire month of February!

Until next time, this has been @16feet, your roving puzzle reporter.