A review by saralynnburnett
Pancakes in Paris: Living the American Dream in France by Craig Carlson
4.0
As someone who works in the hospitality industry I’m always on the lookout for books related to it and this memoir from Craig Carlson, Pancakes in Paris - about how he came to open an American style diner in France, was a charmer! I’m not a Francophile by any stretch of the imagination (though I did love that he called his pet Balzac) so the affinity for me with this story was all the nonsense he had to put up with: staffing, labor laws, physical plant issues, supply problems, colorful guests, even more colorful ex-employees...
There’s a phrase we use in the hotel business that’s actually a book title but it sums up what it’s like to work in this industry perfectly: “Don’t Stop The Carnival” and it 100% applies here.
Overall, even if you’re not a part of that world, you’ll enjoy this and find it very inspirational and heartwarming in that Carlson came from literally almost nothing and bootstrapped his way to success, but even better is that his success was also his dream, as far-fetched as it first sounded and he did it all with love. It’s really a story about people, friendships, loyalty, and perseverance.
You’ll root for this guy the whole way through, crave a dish from an American style diner, check out the images and reviews of his Breakfast in America diners on TripAdvisor, and make a note to stop in one when you’re next in Paris!
There’s a phrase we use in the hotel business that’s actually a book title but it sums up what it’s like to work in this industry perfectly: “Don’t Stop The Carnival” and it 100% applies here.
Overall, even if you’re not a part of that world, you’ll enjoy this and find it very inspirational and heartwarming in that Carlson came from literally almost nothing and bootstrapped his way to success, but even better is that his success was also his dream, as far-fetched as it first sounded and he did it all with love. It’s really a story about people, friendships, loyalty, and perseverance.
You’ll root for this guy the whole way through, crave a dish from an American style diner, check out the images and reviews of his Breakfast in America diners on TripAdvisor, and make a note to stop in one when you’re next in Paris!