The Wall Street Journal - 02.10.2019

A10B| Wednesday, October 2, 2019 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.**

slips off.

With Monday off from her

job as a receptionist, Patricia

Nieves paid her second visit

to Flipper’s in as many days.

She came on Sunday, only to

get turned away while in line

because the restaurant ran

out of ingredients to make

the Strawberry Flipper’s Pan-

cake. She learned about the

restaurant from an Insta-

gram page called @feedyour-

girlfriend. In line, Ms. Nieves

said she was excited for a

cool Instagram post and

some delicious pancakes.

New York City is the first

U.S. outpost for Flipper’s, a

chain of 12 locations in up-

scale neighborhoods in Japan

owned by Baycrew’s Co., a

Tokyo-based fashion and res-

taurant company.

“We started our expansion

in Asia and have now opened

for business in America.

From here on, we will set

our sights on the entire

world and aim to make a

mark on global food culture

through pancakes,” said Ka-

oru Oyama, a Baycrew’s

spokeswoman.

The Japanese locations of

Flipper’s, such as one in Dai-

kanyama, a Tokyo fashion

district, have similar lines

“almost every day,” said

Jimmy Welleby, Flipper’s op-

erations manager in New

York City.

The hype around the New

York opening exceeded his

expectations, he said. “We

got a little bit overwhelmed

GREATERNEW

YORKWATCH

NEW JERSEY

Lawmakers to Probe

Transit-System Woes

Lawmakers in New Jersey

are launching an investigation

into the state’s beleaguered

transit system.

Democratic Senate President

Steve Sweeneysaid Tuesday he

is setting up a committee to

probe NJ Transit concerning

“continued failures and to de-

velop an action plan to turn

around the embattled agency.”

A NJ Transit spokeswoman

said the agency looks forward to

working with the Legislature,

and it shares “the common goal”

of safe, reliable service.

Passengers have endured fre-

quent train cancellations dating

back to last year.

—Associated Press

CONNECTICUT

Late Prelate Faulted

For Abuse Response

Past Roman Catholic leaders

in Bridgeport, including eventual

New York Cardinal Edward Egan,

often were hostile toward peo-

ple who alleged clergy sexual

abuse and merely transferred

many accused priests, thus al-

lowing them to continue their

misconduct, an independent re-

port released Tuesday found.

Current Bridgeport Bishop

Frank Caggiano ordered an inves-

tigation last year into priests’

sexual abuse of minors dating to

the diocese’s founding in 1953.

Former Connecticut state Judge

Robert Holzberg laid out his find-

ings during a news conference.

The yearlong review found

that 281 people—mostly males

between 5 and 18—were abused

by 71 priests since the diocese’s

inception. Mr. Holzberg said

there probably are many more

victims who couldn’t be identi-

fied because church records

were destroyed. The diocese has

spent about $56 million settling

victims’ lawsuits.

Cardinal Egan, who served as

Bridgeport bishop from 1988 to

2000, died in 2015.

—Associated Press

quite frankly with the rush.”

The restaurant’s inaugural

days have brought a number

of popular Instagram influ-

encers, who have helped the

venue add thousands of fol-

lowers in just days. Even

when the momentum wears

off, he said, “the quality is

always going to be what re-

ally keeps the brand going,

no matter what happens.

A self-described “big pan-

cakeguy,”JakeUngrey,a

barber who lives in Brooklyn,

was first exposed to Flip-

per’s while on a trip to

Japan last year. He said its

pancakes are some of the

best he has ever tasted. The

longest he would wait in line

for most things is about 30

minutes, he said.

He will make an exception

for Flipper’s, though.

“I’d wait 45 minutes, and

fly 14 hours to Japan, for

these pancakes,” he said.

—Peter Landers in Tokyo

contributed to this article.

New York City has a new,

made-for-Instagram dish

foodies are lining up to try:

Japanese souffle-pancakes.

Since Flipper’s opened

Friday in SoHo, a near-con-

stant stream of customers

have been parked on the cor-

ner of West Broadway and

Grand Street waiting to try

the extra-fluffy but not-too-

sweet concoction that is

making its stateside debut

after building a cult follow-

ing in Japan.

For $16 diners get a trio

of 2-inch-wide pancakes,

topped with powdered sugar

and a signature cream. For

an additional $3, you can get

the strawberry-flavored ver-

sion.

The pancakes’ fluffiness

deflates within two minutes,

leaving a precious window

for the perfect bite. And if

the plate moves, the pan-

cakes slide and the cream

BYTYLERBLINT-WELSH

Japanese Souffle-Pancakes Rise Up in NYC

Manhattan’s SoHo site is the first U.S. outpost for Flipper’s, which has 12 locations in Japan that sell the popular, extra-fluffy but not-too-sweet pancakes.

MARK KAUZLARICH FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL (2)

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP

LUNCHEON

A PRIVATE EVENT FOR BUSINESS EXECUTIVES

October 9th 2019 at

Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing

10:30 am to 2:00 pm: Speakers, Complimentary Lunch,

Networking, and Partnership Opportunities.

Check-in begins at 9:30 am.

Dress code calls for Business Casual attire.

Seating is limited, so make your reservation today.

To RSVP, visit us at info.ameristrong.com/rsvp

or call (800) 353-

Moving America Forward

Edward C. Byers Jr.

U.S. Navy SEAL

Master Chief Petty Officer

Special Warfare Operator

MedalofHonorRecipient

Karl Horst

Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.)

President & CEO of the

Congressional Medal of Honor

Foundation

Greg Welteroth

Circle of Honor

Recipient

Founder of

Welteroth Enterprises

GREATER NEW YORK

NY