New restaurant opens in former Kostas spot in Palmetto, serving breakfast and more
A new restaurant has opened in the spot where Kostas Family Restaurant used to be, and most of what you need to know about Burger & Pancake House is in its name.
Breakfast is served all day, seven days a week, at 1631 Eighth Ave. W., a spot that has a long restaurant tradition.
Owner Ismail Ilhan, 49, opened Burger & Pancake House in November, but smartly kept the most popular menu items offered by previous owner Linda Erwin, who operated the 100-seat eatery as Kostas Family Restaurant.
“I observed the restaurant operation for about one month and kept about 25% of the favorites on Linda’s menu. She didn’t have breakfast, and we want to sell breakfast,” Ilhan said.
In addition to Kostas, other previous occupants of the restaurant space included Kojak’s Palmetto Ribhouse, Clock Restaurant and Hubba Hubba Drive-in.
Ilhan is a 15-year veteran of the restaurant business and previously owned restaurants in the St. Louis area.
Many of Linda Erwin’s staff stayed on with the change of ownership, including waitress Shelby Sewell, 23, a 2016 graduate of Bradenton Christian School.
“I like my regulars, and getting to know them well. We are like family and we will have their drink waiting for them when they arrive,” Sewell said.
That small town feeling, along with the restaurant’s location on Palmetto’s main drag, and its large parking lot if what attracted Ilhan to the business, rather than seeking a restaurant space in a bigger city.
“My friends in small towns seemed happier than me, working in a big city,” he said.
Plus, Ilhan had some familiarity with the Bradenton area before moving here.
“We came here for vacation every year. We would go to Bradenton, Sarasota, and the beaches. This is my semi-retirement restaurant,” he said.
“We want guests to come and give us a try. If you like us, tell your friends,” he said.
Menu options
The menu features omelets, country skillets, pancakes, French toast, and a variety of stick-to-the-ribs breakfast specials.
And then there are hamburgers, grilled the customer’s way and served on a toasted bun with a choice of fries, onion straws or garden salad.
To complete the picture , the restaurant offers salads, sandwiches, lunch platters, dinner entrees and Italian entrees.
Burger prices start at $7.95. Sandwiches and lunch platters start at $9.50.
Dinner entrees, including traditional American comfort food such as chicken fried chicken, liver and onions, pork chops, meatloaf, country fried steak and fried fish, start at $11.50.
Burger & Pancake House is open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. seven days a week.
For more information, visit https://www.burgerandpancakehouse.com/ or call 941-479-4914.
This story was originally published December 29, 2021 at 11:34 AM.
