About Us

Our Story

The original Smitty's was built in 1958 and was owned and operated by partners Bill & Mille Mendenhal and Cecil & Caroline Clements. During the Seattle Worlds Fair in 1962, Smitty's was purchased by Gerald & Maxine Freeman and they operated it until their retirement in 1980.
The current owners, Stephen  & Carol Freeman purchased the pancake house and have operated it from 1980 to present. 
Smitty's started out as a 2,500 square foot building that seated 90 patrons, with no foyer and no outside amenities. After it sold in 1962, Gerald &  Maxine periodically remodeled it ever few years, adding a face lift to the outside, updating the sign, and streamlining the inside.
By 1980, the building had grown to approximately 3,000 square feet and seated about 110 patrons. In 1987,an arson fire destroyed the building down to the ground. The replacement building increased in size to 3,500 square feet and seated 130 customers.Within two years another fire destroyed Smitty's . The third building, bigger and more efficient in design and practically now seat 160 people.