The Pan - Gardena

I went to LA for the weekend, shopping and Spa stopped at The Pan on Saturday and let's just say it was absolutely amazing. Everything I had was delicious. The lemon pancakes were a 10/10 the shrimp n grits was also 10/10. The chicken breast was cooked to perfection. The loaded hashbrownd great too.

Our first time here and it was extremely disappointing. From the moment we got there the waiters were rude and have no customer service skills. I also seen another person take a picture of this cart that’s just there in another review. Not only does it stink, but we were sat right next to it. It’s disgusting and unsanitary. Additionally, it’s so small, it gets extremely crowded where you get no personal space, it was really just a bad experience overall.

Perfect brunch spot. Everything is delicious and outstanding. Never had a bad dish. Creative dishes. Good service. Peanut butter pancakes, guava pancakes, tiramisu pancakes, loaded hash browns are all delicious. Only hard part about coming here is the parking and wait on busy days. But there do have multiple locations now, have not tried those yet. Went on a weekday and there was no wait. Parking: <15 parking spots in the lot, but you can find street parking, may need to walk a short distance. Usually there will be long wait for a table if it's peak hours/weekends.

EXCELLENT brunch spot. Large portions, yummy food. Gets very busy. Parking: Lot is full when busy. Most days street parking is available

Disclaimer: As a veteran African American teacher, I will provide reviews especially when service is subpar as well as embedded in stereotypical misconceptions of African American people…..This is why telling the true history of African Americans in our history books is so critical to healing America. I have bought take out as well as dined in several times at The Pan, Gardena. I have opted to eat here because it is my neighborhood restaurant, the food is tasty and hearty for the price. I decided to celebrate my 54th birthday, July 8th with my family, friends and my pool family at the Gardena location; this was my second time encountering the Manager waitress…..My internal instinct did not feel settled, however I went with the flow because I wanted to be happy and at peace on my birthday. However, today’s experience with my pool family confirmed my internal discomfort was spot on: the Latina waitress/greeters present themselves as being very uncomfortable servicing a group of African American people, lacks welcoming atmosphere for dining, impatient with adding people to party, lack of customer convenience as it relates to paying. The entire experience makes one feel as though we are an inconvenience to their business. The Pan is a chain restaurant, therefore I do not understand why the individualized electronic paying machine is not implemented at their restaurants. Today, I intentionally ordered my food online because I did not want to have an issue paying for my food with a card, with a group; yet I was not even offered a glass of water. I will NEVER patronize The Pan again and I will spread the word amid my village: my students, my family, my pool family and my sorority; I will tell them not to spend their money at The Pan because the service is horrible and they do not care about losing customers. Lastly, thank you to the chiefs, /cooks for doing your job well, your meals are consistent, however the servers really tarnish one’s entire experience. Note: July We spent $300+, August $250 and I spent $40 for my meal alone today. Parking: Limited parking.