New business opens on former site of McCall’s beloved creperie

It’s hard to believe it’s been over 400 days since the last plate-sized pancake was served at McCall‘s legendary Pancake House. Now we’re days away from something new calling 209 N 3rd Street home.

After 43 delightful years, the Pancake House closed its doors for the last time on December 5, 2021. Bonnie and George Bertram, the longtime owners, brought the restaurant to market in 2018 as a step towards retirement. They hoped they would eventually find a buyer who would carry on the legacy of the popular restaurant.

Initially, the Godsill Company, which owns and operates the Original Sunrise Cafe, Biscuit & Hogs and Brunchette locations in Boise, was interested in the property, but it didn’t work out. They ended up finding a location closer to Lac Payette for their restaurant “Brunchette sur le lac”.

In the Bertrams’ farewell to clients, Bonnie said they were unsure what the buyer planned to use the property for. Shortly after, our friends from BoiseDev discovered which was in preparation for placement in the public archives. It was purchased by a company responsible for building Natural Grocers stores. Last June, we independently confirmed with a representative of Natural Grocers that construction of a location in McCall was underway.

After some delays, the Colorado-based grocery store will welcome guests for the first time just days before the 2023 Winter Carnival. They are immediately trying to do good in their new community by starting the grand opening celebration on Wednesday, January 18. with a $2,500 donation to the Heartland Hunger & Resource Center, a food bank serving the McCall area. The store will open at 8:30 a.m. after the presentation and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Heartland Hunger & Resource Center will also be the beneficiary of the grocery chain’s “Bring Your Own Bag” program that it operates in all of its stores. When you use your own bags, Natural Grocers donates five cents per shopping trip to a local beneficiary. In their store in Boise, the Food Bank of Idaho is a beneficiary of the same program.

With the addition of McCall, Natural Grocers will own five stores in Idaho. Their other four stores are in Boise, Coeur D’Alene, Hailey and Idaho Falls.

The store has encountered some criticism

When the McCall Stars News ran a story about the store last February, the owner of McCall’s local health food store, Huckleberry Garden Health Food Store, shared it on Facebook asking if that was what the community really wanted. Many who responded felt the city left local residents out of the decision-making process.

Several people pointed out that McCall, a population of 3,568, is already supported by two major grocery chains. Albertsons is 0.8 miles from the new store. Ridley is 0.5 km away.