Business: Cinnamon Pancake House
Address: 5019 Ace Lane, Naperville
Phone/website: 630-946-6414; www.cinnamon-pancakehouse.com
Owner: Eleazar Bonilla, 34, of Plano
Years in business: Five
What does your business do? “We offer very good breakfast and lunch meals. Very good pancakes. Our signature pancake is the cinnamon pancake,” Bonilla said.
Why name the restaurant cinnamon? “It’s the nickname of my wife. When she was 5 or 6, her father nicknamed her ‘canela,’ which means cinnamon in English. Her name is Janely.”
What’s the background? “When I came to the USA (from Mexico) in 2006, my dad found me a job in a restaurant. I didn’t want that. I had a job in a factory. I was 16 years old. … I was washing dishes in a steakhouse. … I did that for two years, but wasn’t happy. … I always wanted to learn how to cook.
“I tried. The owner said, ‘You’re not ready for this yet.’ I was crying. I went back to the dishes station. … Someone quit and they asked me if I wanted a second opportunity. … I learned it very well. I (cooked) for them for six years.
“Then I worked for a breakfast place for seven years. In 2019, I decided to open my own restaurant.”
Why open a restaurant? “Because I knew how to run a kitchen. I knew everything about the business, I learned all the steps. Why not open my own place? … We opened in June 2019.”
Is it successful? “Yes. I’m very happy to see the empty plates (after people eat). I really love that.”
How did the virus impact your business? “We closed for two months (in 2020), but we did carryout. … One time, I didn’t think it was going to work out. To pay the bills, I had to cook at night at another restaurant. We have three children. It was a very hard time.”
And when you reopened? “We were very happy to see our customers. We have very nice customers here. … The customers came in (again) and supported us.”
What does a customer say? “The food is fabulous. The owner, even better. … Everything is good here. Good pancakes,” Ernie Bolen, 58, of Oswego, said.
What are your hours? “We are open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.”
Why don’t you serve dinner? “The more important thing in my life is my family, my kids. I want to make money to take care of my family but I also want to spend time with them. We have three children. … That’s why I opened a breakfast and lunch only (restaurant).”
What do you like best? “The customers. I like to see them come in happy and leave happy.”
What’s your business philosophy? “I tell customers they have to eat with the eyes first. Good presentation. That’s everything.”
What about competition? “Always give it the same quality. Same quality like the first day you open. That’s the difference with other restaurants. … I always want customers to return. That’s why I always make sure (the quality is there). I am the owner, but I also am a cook. I’m in the kitchen because I want to make sure everything goes correctly.”
Did your wife design the interior? “Yes, she did. We remodeled two months ago. I designed it when we opened. We had darker colors. This time, she designed it, picked out the colors. Whatever you see is her.”
How many employees do you have? “We have five.”
Any memorable stories? “My wife works here on Saturday and Sundays, the busy days. She worries when customers are waiting outside. One time, a group of 10 people came in, saw it was very full. They left right away. There was another big group ready to leave. She ran after them in the parking lot to get the 10 people back. … Yes, they came back. I was in the kitchen and saw her running.”
Is owning a restaurant difficult? “Right now, oh my God, eggs always go up (in price). There’s nothing we can do. It happens every November, December and January. We have to buy eggs for the pancakes.”
What do you suggest for lunch? “Wraps. Paninis. Burgers. People love our chicken salad.”
Do you want a second location? “Of course. That’s my next dream to follow.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “If you really want something, you have to work hard. If you follow your dream, you can get it. … I did it. It was not easy but not impossible.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
