Business Community
Hello, pancakes! Lease on former Harvester property confirmed
The Original Pancake House is coming to Gig Harbor and will occupy the property at 5601 Soundview Drive, former home of the Harvester Restaurant.
“It’s official. It’s the Original Pancake House,” said Carl Swanes of Gig Harvest LLC, the investment group that bought the property last summer for $1.35 million.
Swanes on Thursday said he signed a lease earlier this month with the company that owns and manages locations of The Original Pancake House in Washington state. Representatives of BTE Management Company were not immediately available for comment.
The Harvester closed in June after 38 years when owner Kirby Tweten retired. Ed Friedrich / Gig Harbor Now
The Harvester, a landmark in Gig Harbor known for its comfort food dishes, closed in June after 38 years when owner Kirby Tweten retired.
Swanes (pronounced Swan-esh from the Norwegian) in November said his group had been negotiating with several interested parties before coming to an agreement with The Original Pancake House.
“We thought that it’d be cool to have a breakfast spot there, and they kind of presented the clearest vision of how they’re going to fit in with the community,” Swanes said. “They seemed the most ready to get going right away so it could be an active business again in the community.”
The Gig Harbor Original Pancake House will open sometime in 2022, according Dine Pierce County.
The Original Pancake House was founded in 1953 in Portland, Ore., and has more than 100 franchises “from coast to coast,” according to the website, iloveoph.com. Locations in the Northwest include Puyallup, Tacoma, Maple Valley, Bothell, Redmond and Richland.
The Original Pancake House will open next year in the former Harvester building. Ed Friedrich / Gig Harbor Now
The Original Pancake House has a breakfast-only menu featuring pancakes, including specialties like Dutch Baby and 49er Flapjacks, “plate-sized, buttery, tender and chewy.” There’s also the range of regular hearty breakfast fare, including breakfast sandwiches, omelettes, crepes and Benedicts.
The carry-out “Grab-n-Go” menu includes a family-style breakfast with eggs, potatoes, from-scratch pancakes and meat for a minimum of four people.
Swanes said drawing a tenant to the former Havester building in Gig Harbor was an easy sell because of the location and the community.
“It’s a really strong economy, strong market and a community that a lot of people want to be involved with,” Swanes said. “We had a lot of strong interest and everyone who had an opportunity really jumped at it. So, I just think it shows what a great community Gig Harbor has.”