Hope for Original Pancake House’s return up in smoke

Fire damaged an Original Pancake House restaurant at 4833 W. Charleston Blvd. in Las Vegas.

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The Original Pancake House at 4833 W. Charleston Blvd. was destroyed in a fire in August 2012, and the building was later demolished. The restaurant's sign was still standing as of Oct. 8, 2013, as seen above.

Original Pancake House

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Flapjack fans who were hoping that the Original Pancake House on Charleston Boulevard would reopen after a fire destroyed it last summer may be in for a letdown.

Franchisee Stephan Freudenberger said this week he heard “through the grapevine” that the property owner wants to build a Walgreens drugstore at the now-vacant Las Vegas site.

Freudenberger, who owns two other Original Pancake Houses in the region, said he’s always looking for locations but has no plans to return to 4833 W. Charleston Blvd., where his former restaurant opened in 1995.

“If I could, I would,” he said.

Landlord George Shakiban, of Southern California, did not return a call for comment.

Work crews tore down the restaurant after fire ripped through it in August. The eatery was closed at the time.

Investigators ruled the blaze an arson but no charges have been filed, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Today, the fenced-off site consists of a concrete pad and the Pancake House’s sign.

The Original Pancake House, known for its thin, chewy 49’er flapjacks and dense, oven-baked apple pancake, has locations in 28 states, Seoul and Tokyo. Southern Nevadans who are looking for some pancakes don't have to go that far, as there is still a restaurant at 4170 Fort Apache Road and one at Primm Valley Resort.

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