Speaking for myself, its wasn’t just all the Magic Pan Experience, Don’t get me wrong, it was a great place to work, the money was good...

 It was a learning experience, the place was owned by Quaker Oats, the people were great, The Managers were nice people, (I’m in the Black and white picture on the web page), the benefits were respectable , and we even had a stock option plan---, Hell in 1975 I actually started buying Quaker Oats stock through the company plan, ( a few years later, I became a stock broker) which grew to a nice sum > The Pan was clean, people liked working there; The food was special and tasted great. We were all happy, it was a fun place to work, When I wasn’t waiting on tables, I got a kick out of making crepes and flipping and twirling the pans, while young kids watched.

But it was also the times ---I think we all have to agree that the 70s and 80s were a special time for the food industry, the chain concept of faster more specialized quality food was just starting to take hold, and lets face it we were all mostly in our 20s and 30s, it was a unique time. The Magic Pan was staffed with people our own age, in college or recently graduated, the recession of the 70’s was for most part not effecting the shopping malls, where the MP Stores were based. Reagan was coming in, gas lines were disappearing, its was a time of new beginnings and optimism.

I love the Pan, I wished we could somehow duplicate it, I wouldn’t mind owning a place myself, but as much as I love my family, and my career, I’m not so keen on being over 50, so I wouldn’t mind being 19 again , single with no headaches, No bills and No worries, my biggest concern, asking one of the waitress out to see a movie… Yea, The freedom of being young with a buck in your pocket, and an open road, No limitations, no regrets, no disappointments,

That’s the things I think most of us would like to live again, that’s why the Pan was so special. It was Our time, most of us grew up there , matured working there, we had Our first big challenges, Our first major responsibilities, first trials, and perhaps maybe first loves, and that’s why we’d all like to re-live it ----if only for just another moment.

Ernest M. Caponegro