The Last Magic Pan: Where Are They Now?

The Magic Pan was a small American chain of fast-food and takeaway crêperies that used the recipes of a now-closed chain of full-service restaurants specialising in crêpes. The first Magic Pan was a small place on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, established by Hungarian immigrants Lazlo and Paulette Fono. The Fonos moved to San Francisco in 1966 and opened a 24-seat restaurant decorated just like home in Hungary. The restaurant was so successful that a year later, a second Magic Pan opened at Ghirardelli Square. The chain was acquired by the Quaker Oats Company in 1969 and spread to cities across the country, eventually totalling about 112 restaurants. The Magic Pan faced competition from a host of other sit-down contenders in the 1980s and early 1990s, and by the end of 1992, the last St. Louis Magic Pan had closed. In 2005, the Magic Pan name was reintroduced by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises as a fast-food crêpe stand in Northbrook, Illinois. This resurrected version of the Magic Pan does not have the crêpe-making machine used in the original chain. Instead, it uses recreations of the original recipes. So, to answer the question, yes, there are still some Magic Pan restaurants left.

The Magic Pan's founders, Lazlo and Paulette Fono, were Hungarian immigrants

The Magic Pan founders, Lazlo and Paulette Fono, were Hungarian immigrants who fled Hungary in 1956 after the Revolution was crushed. They arrived in the U.S. in 1957, first settling in Denver before moving to San Francisco in 1965. Lazlo had been a cross-country skier on the Hungarian national ski team, and the couple initially worked at a ski resort in Colorado. They opened the first Magic Pan restaurant in 1965 or 1966 on Fillmore Street in San Francisco. The restaurant was decorated "just like home in Hungary," seating 24 people, and Paulette and Lazlo made the fillings and crepes, respectively.

Lazlo Fono invented a crepe-making machine, which gave the restaurant its name, The Magic Pan. The device was a large iron wheel that held eight crepe pans, which rotated over gas flames. This machine allowed the restaurant to make one perfectly cooked crepe per minute. The original Magic Pan menu offered both savoury and sweet crepes, including crab crepes, spinach crepes, mushroom crepes, cheese crepes, and lobster crepes.

The Fonos' creperie was a success, and they soon opened a second location in Ghirardelli Square. In 1969 or 1970, they sold their restaurants to the Quaker Oats Company, which expanded the chain across the United States and Canada. The Fonos became president and vice president of Magic Pan, Inc. At its peak, the chain had 110 locations.

After selling the Magic Pan chain, the Fonós went on to open various other ethnic-themed restaurants, including the Hungarian Paprikás Fonó in San Francisco. Now retired and in their mid-80s, the Fonós credit their success in the restaurant business and in life to their partnership and adherence to their cultural heritage.

The first Magic Pan was a 24-seat restaurant on Fillmore Street, San Francisco

The first Magic Pan was a tiny, 24-seat restaurant on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, established by Hungarian immigrants Lazlo and Paulette Fono in 1965 or 1966. The couple had fled Soviet oppression in Hungary in 1956 and settled in Denver, where Paulette would make palacsintas (the Hungarian equivalent of crepes) for their friends, using her mother's recipes. Encouraged by their enthusiasm, the Fonos decided to open a restaurant in San Francisco, serving Hungarian specialties.

The original Magic Pan was located at 3221 Fillmore Street, near Lombard Street. It was decorated "just like home in Hungary", and Paulette and Leslie (or Lazlo) Fono made the fillings and crepes, respectively. The restaurant got its name from Leslie's invention, a large iron wheel that held eight crepe pans. The pans rotated over gas flames, heating them from below. The crepes were made in full view of diners by a "chef" in a dirndl outfit, and one perfectly cooked crepe was made every minute.

The original Magic Pan menu offered crab crepes, spinach crepes, mushroom crepes, cheese crepes, and lobster crepes. The starter was a goulash soup and salad, and dessert was strawberry crepes with chocolate sauce. The Fonos' creperie was a success, and a year later, they opened a second Magic Pan in Ghirardelli Square. In 1969, the Fonos sold their restaurants to the Quaker Oats Company, which planned to expand the concept across the country. Leslie and Paulette Fono became president and vice president of Magic Pan, Inc.

The restaurant was acquired by the Quaker Oats Company in 1969 or 1970

The Magic Pan was a small American chain of creperies that was at its peak in the 1970s and 1980s. The first Magic Pan was opened in 1965 or 1966 by Hungarian immigrants Lazlo and Paulette Fono in San Francisco. The restaurant was so successful that a second location was opened a year later.

In 1969 or 1970, the Fonos sold their restaurants to the Quaker Oats Company, which planned to expand the concept across the country. The sale price was not disclosed, but the chain was to become the company's primary restaurant chain. Under the new ownership, the Magic Pan chain expanded to about 100-110 locations in the US and Canada.

The Magic Pan restaurants were known for their crepes, both savoury and sweet, which were made in full view of diners. The chain also offered a few soups, salads, and wine. The restaurants were decorated in a country French style, with servers wearing folk costumes, to give diners a taste of Europe.

In 1982, Quaker Oats sold the Magic Pan chain to Bay Bottlers, an Oakland, California-based company. The sale came after years of declining profits, as the chain struggled to keep up with the competition and changing consumer tastes. The new owner tried to revamp the chain by expanding the menu to include heartier meat and pasta dishes, but this effort was ultimately unsuccessful. The last Magic Pan locations closed in the mid-1990s.

The chain peaked at 110-112 locations

The Magic Pan was a small American chain of fast-food and takeaway crêperies. The chain peaked at 110-112 locations throughout the United States and Canada. The first Magic Pan was a small place on Fillmore Street in San Francisco, established by Hungarian immigrants Lazlo and Paulette Fono. The Fonos fled Soviet oppression in their native Hungary in 1956 and found refuge in the US in 1957. Within a few years, the couple opened the first Magic Pan in San Francisco. Paulette made the fillings and Leslie made the crêpes.

In 1969, the Fonos sold their restaurants to the Quaker Oats Company, which planned to expand the concept throughout the country. Leslie and Paulette Fono became president and vice president of Magic Pan, Inc. The Quaker Oats Company acquired Magic Pan from the Fonos in 1970, and it became the company's primary restaurant chain.

The Magic Pan was an instant success. It was regarded as an exotic luxury dish that, by some miracle, was affordable to the average consumer, sometimes costing as little as 60 or 75 cents apiece around 1970. Crepes were a break from the meat and potatoes that dominated most restaurant menus in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The chain was so successful that a year later, a second Magic Pan opened at Ghirardelli Square. The Fonos came up with an invention that gave the restaurant its name: The Magic Pan. The device was a large iron wheel that held eight crêpe pans. The pans rotated over gas flames, which heated them from below. When the pans were hot, they were greased on the bottom, dipped into crêpe batter, and placed upside down on the wheel. After a pan made a complete circuit, the crêpe was lifted carefully from its bottom and placed on a stack in the middle of the table.

The Quaker Oats Company spread the chain across the country, and by the 1970s, the Magic Pan had become a household name. However, the chain began to decline in the 1980s, and the last Magic Pan locations closed in the mid-1990s.

The last Magic Pan locations closed in the mid-1990s

The Magic Pan was a small American chain of creperies that specialised in crêpes, popular from the early 1970s through to the early 1990s. The first Magic Pan was opened in San Francisco by Hungarian immigrants Lazlo and Paulette Fono in 1965 or 1966. The restaurant was small, seating just 24 people, and was decorated "just like home in Hungary". The Fonos' creperie was so successful that a year later a second Magic Pan opened at Ghirardelli Square.

In 1969 or 1970, the Fonos sold their restaurants to the Quaker Oats Company, which planned to expand the concept across the country. The chain eventually totalled about 112 restaurants. In 1982, Quaker sold the Magic Pans after years of declining profits. The new owner tried to adapt the menu, adding fried appetizers, pasta dishes, and meat dishes, but the last Magic Pan locations closed in the mid-1990s.

In 2005, the Magic Pan name was reintroduced by Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises as a fast-food crepe stand in Northbrook, Illinois. This resurrected version of Magic Pan does not have the crepe-making machine used in the original chain. Instead, it uses recreations of the original recipes. The revived chain opened a second location in the food court of the Mall of America near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Paradies company currently operates Magic Pan in U.S. airports including Denver and Washington National.

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