Historic Log Cabin Pancake House Survives Gatlinburg Fire

Step Back in Time

Built in 1978, the Log Cabin Pancake House (and its sister business, the Log Cabin Candy Kitchen) have been owned and run by three generations of the Huskey family. Inside, you can indulge in pancakes of almost any flavor, from pecan to peach to butterscotch chip, or go simple and classic with all-you-can eat biscuits and gravy, or good-old-fashioned eggs and bacon.

On the outside, it’s sturdily built, featuring a long porch decked with colorful hanging flower beds. A covered wagon perched on the roof is emblazoned with the name, so the cabin is difficult to miss! And the historic influence isn’t just on the way the building looks — their website proudly proclaims that when you eat at the Log Cabin Pancake House, “you take a nostalgic step back in time to when life was simpler, meals were hearty and the people were friendly and sincere in their willingness to be helpful to those they met.”

Surviving a Tragedy

Unfortunately, not everything is hearty meals and friendly service in Gatlinburg lately. Even now, firefighters are still struggling to suppress the over 17,000-acre fire that killed fourteen and devastated the Tennessee mountain resort city just a few weeks ago. Over 2,400 buildings were damaged by the fire, and over 150 homes or businesses were completely destroyed.

Miraculously, the Log Cabin Pancake House survived. “It seemed like the fire made a ‘U’ around it,” explained owner John Huskey to Standard Banner. The restaurant was able to retain power even as the buildings around it burned.

Of course, despite the history attached to the pancake house, the Huskey family was true to their words — sincere and friendly, their concerns were centered not on the cabin, but on their employees. Thankfully, all of them made it through the fire unharmed.

Luckily for the Log Cabin Pancake House, business is usually slow this time of year until around March, so there is time to pick up the pieces and get everything in order again before Gatlinburg becomes a tourist hotspot in the summertime.

Cabins Built to Last

Tragedy can strike anywhere, and no building is completely safe if a fire of this one’s size and ferocity targets it. But in wildfire-prone mountain areas, it’s important to prepare for the worst and do what you can to protect your home and your family from disaster. TruLog siding is not only a maintenance-free, affordable alternative to timber, but it’s fire-resistant. Metal siding like TruLog is recommended in FEMA’s “Homebuilder’s Guide to Construction in Wildfire Zones.”