TOLEDO, Ohio — Uncle John's Pancake House has been stacking pancakes on Secor Rd. for 60 years, but the iconic breakfast restaurant will soon be moving from its longtime west Toledo location after accepting an offer to sell the property to the car wash next door.
The announcement was made on the restaurant's Facebook page.
It's unclear where Uncle John's is moving to at this time but the move is expected to happen at the end of March.
The property on Secor Road will be repurposed for an expansion of the Texas-based WhiteWater Express Car Wash to add more vacuum cleaners for customers using the service. The restaurant said the offer was made to them a little over a year ago.
WhiteWater Express Car Wash bought Russ' Auto Wash in February 2022. Russ' Auto Wash opened at the location around the same time as Uncle John's.
Diners like Paige Smith and her family don't want to see the place go.
"Anybody can come and eat here, and I think that's very, very important for the community," Smith said. "Somewhere that everybody can afford to eat, have a good meal and great service."
Cindy Smith also said she would be sad to see the restaurant go after her family just moved back home.
"It's been pretty sad, we actually just relocated from Chicago a year ago and this has been our favorite spot since they've came," she said.
Diners like Robert Rowe say if they do decide to sell the spot, he hopes the restaurant's tradition in the city remains.
"That's something for these guys to work out," he said. "Hopefully if they decide to sell the property, they hope to find another location to keep it going."
The restaurant said it will be meeting with employees on Saturday to discuss plans moving forward.
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