Richard Walker
Owner of Richard Walker’s Pancake House
The first thing Richard Walker will tell you is that he loves his work. As the owner of Richard Walker’s Pancake House, he will admit that working in his family’s pancake business was not the career he would have chosen as a child. “Music was my first love, but I realized soon after receiving my degree from the University of San Francisco that the family business is where I belong,” he says.
Richard Walker joined his family’s business in the 1970s as manager of Bickford’s Pancake House in Boston, Mass. and Walker Brother’s Pancake House in Glenview, Ill. His success with the daily responsibilities of running a restaurant and managing teams of employees, encouraged him to open two additional locations in Illinois under a new name, Richard Walker’s Pancake House.
In June 2006, he introduced his family’s tradition to the West Coast with the opening of Richard Walker’s Pancake House in downtown San Diego. “I thought a friendly, gourmet pancake restaurant would fill a current void in the downtown community,” says Walker. “I wanted to provide a unique and positive dining experience, as well as a little bit of the Walker family tradition to local families and residents, employees and visitors.”
Walker’s pride of ownership is reflected in the superior quality of his food and in the hands-on approach he takes when training his staff. He believes that “the engine of the restaurant is the kitchen,” and Walker can often be found there working with the chef preparing his famous Baked Apple Pancakes or in the restaurant ensuring an attentive and courteous culture among his staff.
In addition to his commitment to providing superior customer service and exceptional food, Walker’s love of art and music is incorporated into every dining experience at Richard Walker’s Pancake House. The hand-blown glass installations and Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired décor, combined with the classical music played daily throughout the restaurant, are tributes to Walker’s passion for the arts.