The City of Myrtle Beach has been a well-known travel destination for vacationers from around the country. Its history of tourism began as early as the late 1800s and steadily increased the following century. The 60-mile stretch of land on South Carolina’s northeastern coast not only became a premier vacation destination but served as a military town for the U.S. Army Air Force in the early 1950s. During the 1970s, new construction in the area topped $75 million, and the permanent population tripled. This expansion led to new homes, retail shops, attractions, and restaurants such as this one, Woodhaven Pancake House, which was established in 1977. In 1995, the restaurant was acquired by a local couple, Ted and Maria Panos.

Ted grew up in the restaurant industry at the ripe age of eight. His Greek father immigrated from a small village in Greece to New York. He got a job making ice then eventually became a dishwasher for a local diner. Years later he saved enough money to become a business partner at a diner in upstate New York. In 1980 he moved his family to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where he acquired three other breakfast restaurants.

In 1984, Maria traveled to Myrtle Beach to earn enough money to put herself through college. She began waitressing at the Pumpernickel, a Panos-owned pancake house, where she met Ted. They began dating and continued their relationship while Maria finished school. The two eventually married in 1986 and acquired a Pancake House in Surfside Beach in 1987. Shortly after, they started building a family in which all five children were raised working at the restaurants: Victoria, Cora, Billy, Stephanie, and Frieda.

Throughout the decades, the family owned and operated two restaurants. Their goal was simple: to provide delicious food and excellent service to both tourists and members of the Grand Strand community. In 2022, they sold their Surfside location to spend more quality time with their family.

Today, the Woodhaven Pancake House is still owned and operated by the Panos Family.