A crowd of approximately 100 people were hungry this morning. Hungry for pancakes. A line snaked around the entrance to the new IHOP restaurant in Columbia Heights this morning, the promise of free pancakes for those with the patience to wait out the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Some were there for just the free taste — but others were prepared for a full meal. One of the first women in line said that she had been waiting since 7 a.m. for her free short stack. “I think I’m going to get it all the way, with blueberries,” said Charles Daniels, who stood a short distance behind the front of the queue. At least two people said that they had come to the line, saw how long it was, then came back to find it mysteriously shortened — one person who was waiting in line noted that it thinned out significantly after a large group of charter school students had to go back to class before the doors opened. The line hardly stretched all the way back to where barricades had been erected, and near the end of the line, people had only been waiting for 20 minutes. Despite the wait, most were in good spirits — after all, there were complimentary pieces of heaven to be had inside.

But even fluffy pancakes take a back seat to the D.C. pomp and circumstance. A lineup of politicians — including Mayor Adrian Fenty, Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham, and Council Chair-elect Kwame Brown — all took to the podium, dressed in IHOP’s recognizable blue sweaters. (It was a surreal thing to see.) After offering their congratulations to the ownership group and making a few cracks — Graham said that it only took one look at him to realize that he was a pancake fan — they got right to the ribbon-cutting.

Grand opening festivities continue this afternoon: students from Bell Multicultural High School’s culinary program will assist in a “pancake monument” construction at the IHOP through 3 p.m. this afternoon.