Want a quick and easy brunch or breakfast at the office or for a long weekend? Throw a Pancake Potluck with a portable griddle and toppings aplenty!

Sometimes it’s easy to get going early in the morning … and sometimes, not so much. When we notice that mornings at our office are getting a bit dreary, we like to mix it up a bit. One of our favorite tricks? The Pancake Potluck — we basically put the word out to all Infomedia employees that we’ll be making pancakes and ask everyone to bring a favorite topping. Then we fire up the griddle, flip a few flapjacks, and watch as the pancakes do their magic — they’re a tasty and filling breakfast, and we swear they jump-start our inspiration for the day. Plus, we find that chocolate chips, syrup and whipped cream have a positive effect on employee bonding.
The Pancake Potluck has fast become a company favorite, but it’s not just for the workplace — a pancake party can make an easy brunch (or dinner!) that gets everyone involved. It’s a particularly delicious new tradition for a long holiday weekend like, um, maybe Labor Day?
Setting up a Pancake Potluck is pretty simple, but here are a few of the tips we’ve come up with from hosting them at the office:
Set a date
This may be obvious, but it is a necessary first step. For one, you want to make sure everyone knows, so that they can plan accordingly (like, to be at work — a handful of our staff works at home part of the week). I have found that pancake parties are the most fun on Fridays before a long weekend!
Send the invites
Ok, so maybe you don’t need to go all out with Paperless Post invitation or anything, but make sure you get the word out. What I like to do is create and send a Google Doc company-wide and invite everyone to edit it. I usually make a doc with two columns: Name and What I’m Bringing. This brings me to my next tip …
Plan your menu
At the top of the Google Doc, I list a few ingredients to spark some ideas about what to bring. (Our brilliant designers and programmers and such have to use their brains SO much everyday, so I like to make things easy when I can.) Some ingredients on the list are: syrup, butter, chocolate chips, whipped cream, nuts, berries, coconut, powdered sugar, peanut butter, bananas, Nutella, cinnamon sugar, orange juice, BACON … you get the idea. Pretty much nothing is off limits.
Prep
Plan the recipe and prepare the batter ahead of time (be mindful of dietary restrictions). Why make batter early? For one thing, the batter tastes better if you let it rest first. Also, if you plan ahead, no one has to see you covered in flour or batter like Lucy Ricardo — instead, you look calm and collected like June Cleaver!
Get the kitchen ready
Make sure you have an electric griddle. While most offices do not have a full kitchen, there is always a plug. Griddles are portable, can be used (almost) anywhere and clean easily, making them a perfect option for your pancake party. Make sure your spatula is not plastic (we learned the hard way). In this step, I also make sure we have plenty of plates, forks, knives, and little bowls for all of the toppings!
Make the pancakes
This is where it gets messy. And delicious. This is when everyone throws in all the ingredients of their choice and puts them on the griddle! Make sure you have butter handy here! I prefer the classic — plain pancake, with way too much butter and syrup. But I was truly impressed at some of my coworkers’ concoctions!
Last, but not least — MIMOSAS!
You have to have something to wash it all down with. Milk, coffee or even tea will work … but on a weekend like this one when we’re in the mood for Labor Day, we just might try mimosas. 😉