OCU’s iconic pancake man recently celebrated his 13th year of making pancakes in the caf.
Willie Butler is the weekend brunch chef at the grill in the caf.
“I’ve been doing the same thing I’ve been doing; working on the grill, putting up trucks, catering, same thing,” Butler said.
Butler began as a caf chef 13 years ago. Before that, he spent 12 years in the armed forces, fighting in Germany and Saudi Arabia. Butler said being a chef is his retirement job. The reign of crazy pancakes began seven years ago, he said.
“It was when I did the first Pancake Palooza,” he said. “After that, we started doing special pancakes more and more. I would ask the students every week what the students would like, and I like doing that. It’s a pleasure.”
Pancake Palooza is a philanthropy event hosted by Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Students pay $5 for all-you-can-eat pancakes, and the proceeds go to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.
Butler said he looks forward to the weekends.
“I would do anything to make people happy,” he said. “I’m just taking it week to week.”
Butler has used many different ingredients in his pancakes, from Little Debbie’s cakes to strawberries.
Making pancakes is not the craziest thing he’s done, Butler said.
“About six years ago, my boss came to me and said, ‘Willie, can I ask you a question? You’ll do anything for these students, right?’ and I said, ‘Of course I would,’ and she said, ‘Good, put this on,’ and handed me a banana costume,” he said. “I walked around in a banana costume during lunch handing out bananas because there was a banana shortage. I ran around singing the peanut butter jelly song. And I’d do it again.”
Butler said he buys all of the special ingredients for his pancakes out of pocket.
“It’s like taking care of my nieces and nephews. I wouldn’t think twice,” he said.
The students’ happiness makes the costs worthwhile, he said.
“That’s priceless,” Butler said. “I enjoy doing it, it’s my way of paying it forward. All that matters is if y’all are happy. I don’t do things to get things in return, and, if I did, that would make me a selfish human.”
Butler said he takes pride in knowing what people want on weekends.
“I think the biggest thing is when I remember students’ orders,” he said. “When I can blurt it out it makes them feel special. I know what people want just by looking at their face.”
Alyssa Snow, design and production freshman, said Butler was nice to her in only her second week at school.
“One time I came to brunch after Willie told me he’d make me cookie dough pancakes the previous week,” Snow said. “After I got there, he realized he had forgotten. He literally ran to the back and got cookie dough and made me the pancakes. Who else would do that?”
Butler said he treats every day with enthusiasm.
“I enjoy every day like it’s the last, that way you have more fun. I’m 55, what can I say,” he said.
Butler said he had something to say to the students who enjoy his brunch.
“Thank you,” he said. “If we didn’t appreciate each other, things wouldn’t work out the way they do.”
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