after work-hours ended, an influx of people made their way to the community center for pancakes.

The Kiwanis Club Pancake Supper drew a massive crowd, serving nearly 4,000 people in New Iberia this week.

According to former president, Eric Armentor, this is the biggest pancake supper they’ve held in years. They served nearly 800 people inside, which is the most full the building has been since before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Over 3,000 cars utilized the curbside service. The event was not set to start until 4:30 p.m., but there were so many cars waiting in line that they started to give out meals early.

They usually end the night with an excess of pancakes, but not this time. They actually ran out of pancakes towards the end, so the crew had to crank out fresh pancakes rapidly to keep up the demand of both the drive-through pickups and indoor diners. According to Armentor, this is the most participation they’ve received in a long time, and they might have to evolve to match the demand.

“It wasn’t the volunteers. We had enough workers, but we can only cook so many pancakes in a six-hour period so we will have to think about that for next year,” Armentor said.

They also received support from several local Key Clubs, whose members spent the evening packing dinners and passing them out at the drive-up.

In total, over 17,000 pancakes and 8,000 sausage patties were cooked. Armentor said the club wanted to thank everyone for their participation and support, including the sponsors, the public for buying tickets, and the volunteers for their dedication.