Richard Walker’s Pancake House

Disappointed. Although it was just after noon on Father’s Day our wait for 2 was only 5 minutes. Then things turned for the worst. Took awhile for a server to acknowledge us. Got a filthy coffee mug. Getting a refill on coffee nearly impossible. Food just okay.

The wait is terrible. They have the system where you can check your progress with an app. They skipped over my name completely and put me at the end of the line. When I went to complain they said they have been shouting my name but I was standing there the entire time. I ordered the cherry pancakes which were good, but extremely sweet. Like the food, hate the service.

We didnt even get a chance to try the food because the service was so horrible. Our server, Angela went to the other 2 tables in her station and kept avoiding ours after she’d introduced herself as our server. She even had time to take the order of a family that came in after us. She made eye contact with me twice trying to get her attention to please come take our order. Half the menu says you need to wait 20 minutes while they cook up your order so you know you already have a long wait to eat but waiting that long for service and being obviously ignored was ridiculous. We left $ 3 on the table to cover the coffee my husband had been given by someone else who wasnt our server but when I ran back in to retrieve an item I saw that the awful waitress was pocketing the cash. She was not worth $ 3. A female that I perceived to be the manager was there and asked why we left and I said «we were tired of waiting for service» and so she in response walked away from me and the server shrugged and walked away with the cash in her pocket. So I would add that all aspects of their customer service need some serious attention.

Food is not made to order and a perfect example of this is the old, cold and orange eggs they served to me. Food is way over-​priced and you definitely don’t get your money’s worth.

Overpriced Chain Breakfast food. Basically a more expensive version of Denny’s. Very disappointed with the food and service.
Omelette — This was actually pretty good. Nice portion and oven baked.
Silver Dollar Pancakes– Pretty blah… Kind of what you would expect from Denny’s or something similar
Full Pancakes — Same as above
«Fancy Pancakes» — these are what they are known for and their signature. Kind of hard to go wrong when smothered in whipped cream, chocolate chips or fruit
French toast– about in line with Denny’s nothing special
Atmosphere– Nice, but nothing super fancy. The décor is certainly nicer than a Denny’s for sure.
Cleanliness– Our booth was full of crumbs on the seat. Also saw other areas of the restaurant with similar issues.
Service — Slow to seat us, even though there were open tables. They apparently were understaffed and could not get cleaned fast enough. Server was very nice but slow. She brought the entrees out piecemeal for the five of us. Some of our party got portions of their food over the course of five minutes. She forgot a portion of my meal altogether.
My main gripe with this place is the price for what you get. If you are going to charge a premium then provide premium food and service.

I’ve been here many times before. I wasn’t always pleasantly surprised. However, this morning when my girlfriend and I went out to eat I wasn’t happy at all. There was a line to be seated. This is ok it was quick but the problem was the people behind me who came in the door after us were seated before us. That’s fine I figured it was a minor overlook there was ample seating and we were seated shortly after they were. I ordered the western omelette. My girlfriend orders eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. Our food came about 20 minutes later. Which seemed to be a lot longer then others who were seated around is. My girlfriends bacon was burnt. No other way to describe not crispy but beyond that point and her eggs were cold. My omelette was half the size of my plate. It was like a kids portion. Initially I didn’t mind but it wasn’t hot and the ham was overcooked and crunchy. When the waiter asked how it was I explained it was probably the worst breakfast I’ve ever paid to eat. He must of that I was joking because I told him three times before he quit laughing and said «sorry». The waiter was pleasant and I relayed it to him that he did a great job. The manager came over took off my girlfriends meal which was fine. I don’t typically consider myself to be a complainer (especially after watching the movie «Waiting») but when a person pays a high price for food they expect that in the quality. The pancakes weren’t screwed up that’s really about all I can say. I’ve never had this problem in there before. Oh well Elly’s it is next time I’ll make the trip and wait the line. I’ll never go back here again. Ever!

I know the food here is good, but the guy handling seating sucks. Two of us came in, got on the list and was told «10 minutes». In the meantime about 6 more groups came in, 2 groups of 2 and the rest were 3 or more. The jerk seated 4 groups, and 2 of them were 2 people each who came in after us. I went up to ask him why and he showed me the list which was odd because there were 4 names scratched off after mine and then said they had been waiting outside. Funny, NO ONE was outside when we came in. Not one person. There were actually open seats in the waiting area. We waited another 10 minutes and just left and went to Andy’s where the foods good, cheaper & no matter how busy they are you don’t wait very long.

Great place — awesome food, only drawback was portion size to price. The server was very attentive, the corned beef hash was amazing and house made. I had the chocolate crepes (or crêpe rather as it was only one for almost $ 9) and it was delicious as well.

I visit often… never had an issue. Food is always great and fresh! Today Martin was my server did great! Weekday are not so busy… you may enjoy coffee and listen to classical music. Very relaxing for me. Always polite and friendly here. They pay attention to clients needs. Weekends are busy so be patient. its like anything else. If it was not good it would be empty! It is one of my favorite places for breakfast. Priced fairly and coffee is delicious! As for me It deserves 5 stars.

Best buttermilk pancakes & coffee around, huge omelets. Relaxing atmosphere w classical music & a fireplace. Great service!

Nice atmosphere but Swedish pancakes were crepes and were tasteless. Thick cut bacon ($ 4.50) was the highlight of the meal because the blueberry waffle was just a waffle with blueberries on the side. Service was good however the value of the mediocre breakfast will prevent us from trying again.

Gotta love the bacon!

This is a fun place to go to for breakfast. Be fair warned that on Sundays from 9:30am-12pm the church crowds come. There have been times where it was a good 30 – 45 minute wait. But it is worth the wait. This place has your standard breakfast as well as some delicious specials. They also have a reward program that gives you $ 5 off your bill. My son used to love the pigs in a side car (sausage links wrapped in pancakes dusted with powdered sugar and a orange dipping sauce), my husband and I like the omelets. Coffee is good and plentiful. Waitstaff is always accommodating. Fun place to people watch.

We called in a breakfast order on a Wednesday morning. We were told the food would be ready in 20 mins. When I arrived, and asked for my order, it wasn’t ready. I had to sit and wait 20 MORE minutes for them to cook my food. I was incredibly frustrated by that, but had no choice but to wait. I didn’t get an apology or anything. So I left with my food. It was delicious, but making me wait longer was unacceptable.

The only reason I’m giving this place three stars instead of two is because of the oven baked apple pancake… it FAR exceeds the ooey gooey cake like creation I grew up with as a child at The Original Pancake house just outside Chicago. It was warm, sticky, sweet, fluffy… everything you want an apple pancake to be. BUT this one (unlike the several I ate long ago) had crisped edges that added a bit of texture.
Outside of that, the place doesn’t offer much more. Service was slow to start then speedy and almost rushed, The eggs and taters lacked flavor, and I was surprised that the menu seemed so limited. It also seemed a bit on the pricey side for breakfast.

$ 60…for 4 people (2 of which were kids) for BREAKFAST.
However, the food was VERY good. Everything was seasoned and cooked properly. I don’t have a single complaint about the taste of the food.
I ordered the San Diego french toast which is made of challah break. You only get 2 slices, cut in half. Yes, only 2 slices for $ 9.95. The bowl of fresh fruit that comes with it, at least was on a larger side. I ordered a side of bacon. They cooked it perfectly, but you only get 3 slices for $ 4. My hubby ordered the Denver omelette. The size was great and every bite had just enough veggies/​meat. It was seasoned very well. Our kids got the 1,2,3 breakfast and silver dollar pancakes with orange juice and apple juice. They gave me a birthday blueberry muffin which was nice (but we haven’t eaten it yet).
If you don’t care about price, this is the place to go. We, however, will not be returning based completely on the price. I could ALMOST understand if they served everything organic and grass fed meats. But this is not the case.

We started eating breakfast here on advice (not Unilocalers though) from people who «knew» the best place to eat in the area. This was when we first moved to Crystal Lake in 2007. We enjoyed the variety the menu offered along with the quaint atmosphere and the central fireplace on a cold winter morning. We continued to eat her off and on until 2010 when we began discovering other breakfast nooks with the help of Unilocalers.
We decided to go back to reflect on our first year in the area for some breakfast. I am not sure if the service and quality are sliding or that we are used to better places in the area. The service was slow at 7:30 on a Sunday with only two other couples in the restaurant (I checked the other side just to be sure). We got our order and the food was standard for this small chain restaurant. While eating I wanted another glass of water but could not visually locate the server. After about 15 minutes I tracked them down. We waited another 10 minutes for them to come back to see if we needed anything else.
For the final surprise they tried to charge me an extra two dollars for my scrambled eggs because I requested egg whites only! I spoke with the manager and ask if the eggs are fresh and they replied yes. I countered with asking how difficult it is for your staff to separate and egg? I got the charged removed and we left.
Richard Walkers is a fine small chain restaurant with above average food at a slightly higher price. However, like I have said about chain restaurants in this area, there are many other restaurant options the same if not better quality food and price. These restaurants are also not chains and provide the same variety of menu options (yes, even the trendy pancakes). Take a look around the area and you will be amazed at the wonderful breakfast experiences you can have! If you can’t find em just ask!

If you’re looking for great value, this is not your place. If you’re looking for a more upscale establishment for breakfast or brunch and cost isn’t of much concern, this is an option.
My first frustration was with the pricing. I tend to eat smaller meals, and the only options that fit were the kids meals.
However, I settled on Spinach Crepes: «Fresh spinach with diced onions, fresh diced mushrooms, aged cheddar cheese, Hollandaise on top, Served with three potato pancakes.» The two crepes were tasty, but the filling was lacking. Where were the mushrooms? Where was the spinach? Delicious sauce, though. I was able to substitute pancakes for the potato pancakes, which was a plus. The dish was around $ 10, my cup of coffee well over $ 2.
Considering this is a pancake house, I was incredibly disappointed in the pancakes. They were not moist or milky; just your run-​of-​the-​mill flapjacks that tasted as if they were out of a box.
Side note: My husband ordered an orange juice right off the bat without checking pricing; our server automatically brought him the larger size. At $ 4.50, the orange juice was a waste of money. On the other hand, our server was attentive and warm, and helpful in accommodating the two children in our party.
Sadly, I will not visit this small chain restaurant again. I’d much rather give my business to a small pancake parlor with more character and cozy feel.

Gonna have to go with three stars instead of two for two reasons:
Service. And bacon.
The bacon, the bacon, the bacon. Wow. 4 slices of thick-​cut, perfectly cooked bacon. Wow. Probably the best restaurant bacon I’ve had.
Met friends here for a quick brunch and was disappointed with the pricing for what you get: $ 8.95 for two eggs, hash browns and 4 strips of bacon is a touch high in my opinion. If it came with pancakes or maybe even toast they’d be spot-​on, especially because you get 4 strips of bacon.
The real kicker was the cost of the large orange juice. I didn’t bother to check the menu before ordering it thinking it’d be in the $ 2.50 — $ 3.00 range, even for fresh squeezed. My large OJ set me back $ 4.50, and it wasn’t too memorable. Disappointed.
Last thing that made dining difficult — it was STUFFY and WARM in the restaurant. Felt like I was waiting for the AC to kick in the whole time, but it kept getting warmer and warmer. By the end, I had a few sweat beads on my brow and that should NOT happen at any restaurant in the summer.
But hey, the bacon was awesome. Otherwise, 2 stars.

The corned beef hash is great. With a crisp texture and an unexpected smokey flavor the likes of which I’ve never had, I’d revisit for that alone.
The reason for the 4 out of 5 star being the link sausage. There was too much coating around the outside of the sausage link that tasted over processed.
The staff was very cordial and helpful. We will keep this as a possibility for many return visits in the near future.