Pulteney Fire Department Pancake Breakfast
Update July 2016. The pancake breakfast has a few changes this year: It runs Father's Day through Labor Day, costs $7 per person, and is buffet style. We visited on Father's Day and were a bit disappointed. Chris missed the made-to-order fried eggs, and we all noticed the food wasn't as hot and fresh as last summer; buffet style has its pros and cons. We love supporting the fireman, though, and will surely visit again this summer.
Chris and I enjoyed the Pulteney Fire Department Pancake Breakfast last summer and were eager to give it another try. This was Matthew's first time; last year we tried valiantly to rouse the teenagers, but they chose to sleep in. Their loss! This breakfast is a charming experience start to finish and is quickly becoming a new lake tradition.
The pancake breakfast is housed in a covered open-air structure. It's all very casual; simply choose an open table and sit down. Last year we arrived around 9:15am with 9 people and had to wait 15 minutes for enough spots to open up, but this year we timed it better arriving at 7:30am when half the seats were open. Yes, Matthew joined us at this unseemly hour! Of course it was Father's Day, so Chris was the decider and we aimed to please.
The fire department volunteers run this operation like a well-oiled machine. As soon as we sat down, a kind older gentleman served coffee and within minutes the orange juice arrived. We filled out individual breakfast orders and they were efficiently swooped up by a server. Don't worry about getting a good value for your $5 ($7 in 2016); it's a complete offering including pancakes, eggs cooked to order, home fries, sausage or ham, and beverages. If that doesn't fill you up, there's also a toast station. Be sure to save your order ticket. We handed it to the cashier and paid cash on the way out.
I love everything about this event. The food was hot and delicious, the table sharing set-up provided the opportunity to meet new folks, and all proceeds support the fire department. What's my ultimate highlight? The servers! They are mostly kids and teenagers and they do a bang-up job. This time, we had a little cutie who had to reach up to set plates on the table. Priceless.
The Pulteney Pancake Breakfast is open 7-10am every Sunday, Father's Day through Labor Day. No doubt we'll be back!
Address: Pulteney Fire House, 8875 Brown Rd., Pulteney, NY 14874