Richard Walker’s Pancake House
The Square at Bressi Ranch, Carlsbad, CA
View Project Photos
Mark Bausback, AIA: BausArch, San Diego, CA
Mark Simons, General Contractor/Construction Mgmt: CLTVT, Carlsbad, CA
Ricardo Alcantara, President: Architectural Millwork Solutions, Inc., Vista, CA
Mike Bennett, President: Bennett Glass, Inc., Escondido, CA
Corner Booth Windows
2 at 4.85' and 2.75' w. each by 7.17' h.
Magical Aromas: Suspended Divider Screen
10.6' w. by 3.0' h.
Transom Windows
2 @ 16.75' & 13.5' each by 2.3' h.
The Richard Walker’s Pancake House in Carlsbad, California has stained glass wafting over diners like you’d expect. Plus the mischievous Walker Rabbit welcomes arriving diners from the Corner Booth Windows. The rabbit’s also hidden in the stained glass screen that separates dining from kitchen. Can’t find the rabbit? – All is revealed in the slide show…
SOME BACKGROUND: The Carlsbad restaurant joins a 3-generation procession of award-winning pancake restaurants spanning from Illinois to California. The stained glass tradition began at Walker-family restaurants in the Chicago area in 1960 when Richard Walker, Sr.’s father and uncle filled their first Pancake House with examples of Chicago’s historic stained glass. In the mid 1990s, Architectural Stained Glass created stained glass for Richard Walker’s second Pancake House in Crystal Lake (near Chicago). Fast-forward to this century when ASG was once again called on to create stained glass for a new pancake house, this time in the Gas Lamp District of downtown San Diego. Just a few years later, Richard’s son, Richard, Jr. opened his first Richard Walker’s Pancake House in nearby La Jolla. ASG was once again honored to create its stained glass. A couple of years ago Richard, Jr. opened his second RWPH in Carlsbad (featured here). In 2020, in brave defiance of the pandemic, Richard Jr. opened his newest RWPH in Del Mar, California (the Del Mar restaurant will have its own page here as soon as we are able to get back for photos. In the meantime, you’ll find a sneak-peak at the end of Carlsbad’s slide show.)
NOW BACK TO CARLSBAD: As one of the flagship businesses in the Square at Bressi Ranch (Carlsbad’s newest dining and shopping mecca), this gem of a restaurant is already becoming an award-winning dining destination for locals and visitors alike. See San Diego Union Tribune , also: “Best Breakfast Restaurant in the USA”, USA Today. There’s always a (fast-moving) line. It goes without saying that the breakfast offerings are mouthwatering and nearly impossible to choose among. However, for something different, here’s my insider tip: Richie’s BLT gets my vote with its patented, thick-sliced, cast-iron-pressed, designer bacon and locally sourced veggies on Texas toast!
WHAT’S UP WITH THE RABBIT? “In numerous cultures throughout the world, the rabbit symbolically indicates comfort, abundance and family. Richard Walker’s Pancake House has chosen the symbol of the Rabbit to communicate our warmest gesture of “Welcome Home.” We hope that any time you see the Richard Walker’s Rabbit you find the symbol as comforting as we do.” –from the RWPH website. Each time ASG has created stained glass for a Richard Walker’s, we’ve included the Rabbit. Sometimes he’s elusively leaping into or out of view. Sometimes he’s in plain sight. Here in Carlsbad he makes two appearances. As official greeter from the Corner Booth, he’s obvious, but you’ll probably need some help finding him in the Screen in front of the Kitchen. . . His whereabouts is revealed near the end of the slide show.
Click to see ASG’s stained glass in other Richard Walker’s Pancake Houses in the San Diego area:
La Jolla, California and Downtown San Diego
PANDEMIC UPDATE: All RICHARD WALKER’s restaurants have dauntlessly navigated the covid gauntlet, and are now deliciously open for dine-in, curbside and carry-out!
For webpages and menus of individual restaurants: San Diego, La Jolla, Carlsbad, & Del Mar, CA; Crystal Lake, IL.
Materials: European Mouthblown Glass, Austrian Lead Crystal Prisms, Lead, Solder
