Connect with your neighbors by hosting a neighborhood pancake breakfast!
I remember a time when we knew who lived next door, up the street, and around the corner. Summer was a great time for playing with friends, having a neighborhood BBQ, and picnics. There was always something fun to do right next door. Unfortunately, with time, this tradition has changed. We rarely take time to get to know the people right in our own back yard.
My husband and I decided a few years ago to set one Saturday aside each year and host a pancake breakfast. We make it kid-friendly and roll out the hotcakes for as long as people want to stay.
Recently, we moved 1,500 across the country to take my husband’s dream job. We moved into a very quaint, lively neighborhood, full of families galore. Hosting a pancake breakfast in our home will be a great way to meet our new neighbors!
Maybe you want to have a pancake breakfast too, but don’t know where to start. Well, you’ve come to the right place. If nothing else, you’re about to score some really amazing hot cake recipes!
How to Host a Neighborhood Pancake Breakfast
The Invitation
There are several ways to get the word out that you have free food! You can use flyers, word of mouth, or really fun invitations.
Honestly? Each time we send out the invitations, we don’t expect a single person to show. However, we are always amazed at how many people cannot pass up free food, especially pancakes.
The Decorations
There really isn’t a lot of decorating you need to do for a pancake breakfast, but there are some questions you need to ask to ensure your home is hospitable to a lot of guests.
- Where will the kids sit?
- Is there space outside for your party?
- Do we need to rearrange the furniture?
- Where should the food be served?
- Will we serve the pancakes, or have a buffet-style, serve yourself?
- What drinks will we offer?
- Do we need extra pitchers?
- What little details can I incorporate to help guests feel at home?
- Where will the coats and purses be stored?
Think through the overall flow of the morning for your guests from the time they walk in the door to the time they leave. How can you best organize your home to make them feel most comfortable?
The Food
This is the most important part. This is why they showed up. They’re hungry! Below are some of our favorite recipes along with a few tips and tricks.
Pancakes
Mix all the dry ingredients the night before. I usually mix up several batches and store them in gallon plastic bags. Then, I clean my entire kitchen and take out everything that will not be used the next day (e.g., spice rack, knife stand, microwave, etc). Whatever is sitting on my counter, we store it in a guest bedroom or some other location. This gives us plenty of room to work. And don’t forget to pull out your pancake griddle, if you have one. If you don’t, I did pancake breakfast for years just over my stove in a little frying pan.
Whole Wheat Pancakes – We go light on the sugar. And for the record, I have never had a single complaint about my pancakes being whole wheat!
Pancake Apples are a great idea if you want some variation.
If you have pancakes leftover, no worries! Pancakes freeze well.
Syrup
It is far cheaper to make your syrup than it is to buy it when you’re cooking for a larger group. Plus, by making your pancake syrup you’re eliminating high fructose corn syrup. I always make my syrup a few days before and store in glass jars in the refrigerator.
Fruit
We like strawberries, blueberries, and bananas with pancakes. But really, you can go with whatever is in season.
Coffee & Tea
Homemade Coffee Creamer & Sugar for those who don’t take their coffee black.
Juice
In my experience, orange juice is the only popular choice. Every other juice gets passed over.
The Games
If it’s nice outside, setting up some yard games like horseshoes or ladder ball is a great way to get people to interact and have fun. In addition, sidewalk chalk and homemade soap bubbles are fun for the children.
If you’re inside, a few decks of cards or over-sized checkers make for great fun. We’ve had some amazingly competitive checker tournaments taking place in years past. I also keep several children’s books in a basket for the younger ones.
Just be sure you have plenty of plates, napkins, utensils, and cups on hand and you’re all set to host your very own pancake breakfast! It’s a great Saturday morning activity for summertime!
Maybe a pancake breakfast isn’t your style. Here are a few other suggestions!
Quick and Easy Taco Bar
Chili Bar
Taco Bar Made Easy
Read more on this topic with these posts!
- 7 Cost Increases to Prepare For Before Retirement -
- 5 Quick & Easy Dinners for Busy Days -
- Easy Steps to Get and Stay Organized in Under 10 Minutes -
- 5 Ways to Build an Emergency Fund with Very Little Money -
- Creating An Inviting Atmosphere In Your Home -
- Mouth-watering Garlic Herb Cheese Bombs -
- Animals And The Creativity Of God -
- Game Day Recipe Round up! -
- Heart-breaking News and How You Can Help -
- Quick & Easy – Planning For Your Best Day -
I love the hospitality in the pancake breakfast! If anyone is concerned about holding back because of making a pancake mix, there is a simple solution. There is a pancake mix made by Krusty’s—I know, terrible name for a product, I think. You can buy it in a small box in the grocery store or in a large bag at Sam’s. All you do is add water.
We used it at our family friendly inn for years based on the recommendation of another innkeeper, and frankly were really surprised by its great flavor. Guests raved about our pancakes. You only have to mix up however much you want at a time, which is handy. You can add blueberries as you suggested. A favorite of the kids was chocolate chip pancakes. 🙂
My husband and I were thinking about hosting some monthly summer BBQ’s. Now I am thinking maybe there might be a breakfast in there instead. Thanks for the ideas!
Oh I had to laugh. Krusty’s. I never even thought of how bad a name that is, but you’re so right! I’ve used them before. They do make yummy pancakes. Thanks for the tip!
Pancake breakfasts really are a lot of fun! I like the summer BBQ ideas too, of course. Anything that brings a lot of people over is just worth it to me, and I’m an introvert!!! 🙂
What a great idea! I love my neighbors and this would be a great way to show hospitality. Do your neighbors ever help with the clean up afterwards? 🙂
Athena, believe it or not, I almost always have help cleaning up. I don’t know what to expect with our new community, but the community we left in Tennessee was filled with servants! Some even cooked pancakes so I could eat, or just mingle. You’ll have to let me know how your pancake breakfasts goes!
I have been wanting to host SOMETHING in our neighborhood for a few years now. I haven’t come up with the perfect idea yet. Now, I think I most certainly have! Thank you! Oh, and I second Kim on LOVING the big bag of mix from Sam’s. 😉
Well, I’m glad you stopped by! This is such a great way to meet the neighbors. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!!
This is such a great idea! I love it!
Thanks, Anne! We always have so much fun. 🙂
We were just planning our second annual neighborhood cookout, but after reading this, I am going to try to convince the hubby to do a pancake breakfast! I love breakfast!!!
That is such a great idea! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like pancakes! I am so going to do this, even if it’s just for a First Cousin’s Club meeting 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I have been waiting for this post since I saw the title in the draft section!!! I have been longing for the good ole days of the “Sand Lot” block party! Thank you so much for these tips! I so wanna do it!
This is so great Leigh Ann, definitely something I would love to do! If not a pancake, an ice cream social or something to gather the neighbors. It is so sad how we’ve lost that tradition of getting to know others. We are like horses running in a race, always have our blinders on and just focused on us and our lives. What a great post to help us take the blinders off and get creative!
I love this idea. I want to do for our church family.
Would love to do this one day!