Original Pancake House Opens Location In Japan

Following the lead of Slappy Cakes, a Southwest Portland DYI pancake shop, the Original Pancake House opened its own Japanese location on June 3.

The franchise experienced its biggest opening sales day in the restaurant's history selling more than 200 Dutch Babys — a pancake that tastes like a crepe but settles like a soufflé, the most popular item on the menu.

According to Oregon Live, the reason these Portland based companies are opening locations in Asia is because the Japanese are crazy about pancakes. The craze is especially popular among the youth because it represents American culture and is more exciting than a typical Japanese breakfast.

The Hawaiian chain Eggs'N Things is credited with starting the craze. Yuriko Yamada from Time Out Tokyo has been tracking each opening in what she now calls the pancake revolution. She says that waiting in line for four hours for a sweet pancake isn't uncommon.

And like their American peers, young Japanese customers love to share their pancake creations on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In addition to the Japanese location, Original Pancake House will be opening locations in Huffington Beach, Calif., Maple Valley, Wash., Le Dou, Mo. and Seoul later this year.