The Magic Pan

The Magic Pan is a small American chain of fast-food and take-away creperies using the recipes of a now-closed chain of full-service restaurants that specialized in crêpes, popular in the early 1970s through early 1990s, which peaked at 110 Magic Pan locations throughout the United States and Canada.[1]

The restaurant took its name from the motorized device with individual pans used to make crepes, designed and patented by owner Laszlo Fono.[2] A "carousel" held eight pans and turned them over a gas flame. An attendant dipped pans into crepe batter, then turned them upside down and placed them on the carousel, so the thin crepes cooked on the bottom of a clean greased pan facing upward.

History

The first Magic Pan was established by refugees former skiing champion Laszlo Fono and Eva Paulette (Belatini) Fono in 1965 in a small storefront on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, less than a decade after the couple escaped from Hungary on foot.[3] Two years later, they opened a larger venue in Ghirardelli Square.[4] The Quaker Oats Company acquired Magic Pan from the Fonos in 1970, and it became the company's primary restaurant chain.[5] Quaker Oats sold the company[6] to an Oakland, California-based company, Bay Bottlers, in 1982.[7]

In 2005, the Magic Pan name was re-introduced by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises as a fast-food crepe stand in Northbrook, Illinois. This resurrected version of Magic Pan does not have the crepe-making machine used in the original chain. Instead, it uses recreations of the original recipes.[8] The revived chain opened a second location in the food court of the Mall of America near Minneapolis, Minnesota.[9] The Paradies company currently operates Magic Pan in U.S. airports including Denver and Washington National.[10][11]

Food

The recipes were based on the palacsintas (stuffed blini) Paulette remembered from her childhood in Budapest.[12] Among the menu items were crêpes filled with chicken divan, "chicken elegante", burgundy beef, ratatouille, spinach and mushroom soufflé, dessert crepes with strawberries and sour cream, Chantilly cream, coffee/chocolate sauce ice cream, and "cherry royale."[8] Gulyas (goulash), pea soup, and salads were also offered.

External links

• Magic Pan Alumni website on LinkedIn