Tony Harris rarely eats breakfast, but he’s mastered the meal down to a science.

The process starts when he enters Pelham Diner at 4 a.m. The Alabaster native helms the diner’s morning shift. The homey eatery is known for Harris’ masterwork: The fluffy biscuits. The hearty oatmeal, served with fruit. The omelets, filled to the edges with cheese, vegetables, and meats.

But Harris’ pièce de résistance, if you will, are the pancakes. Dubbed “the hubcaps” the hotcakes are 10 inches and a little over a quarter inch thick. They’re buttery, golden brown, and fluffy with crispy edges. Patrons can order the pancakes with strawberries, pecans, or bananas. And for those who want the golden brown glory of the hubcaps without tackling 10 inches, there are the silver dollar-style “Tony’s Tinys.”

“The pancakes are like an invite,” Harris told Al.com. “Basically, people will say. ‘I’ve never had a pancake this big. But it’s still good.’”

For years, Harris whipped up the hubcaps at Homewood Diner. The restaurant’s owner, Kevin Lather opened Pelham Diner at 2147 Pelham Pkwy in 2017, and Harris joined the crew there near the end of that year.

Lather passed from complications due to COVID-19 in 2021.  Harris remembers him fondly.

“Mr. Lather would always say, ‘even in the worst case scenario, you can still find some good in it,” said Harris.

This summer, Susan and Dakota, Lather’s wife and daughter, made the decision to sell the eatery. The buyer was Toni Darby, a former employee who grew up working in diners.

“I was born into this. My mom ran a diner for 27 years. I lived across the street. It was my first job I was 17. I didn’t have a choice,” Darby said, laughing.

After she gave birth to her son, Darby went to school for a degree in business with a minor in English and worked for nearly 25 years in school systems as a grant writer.  She spent about a year at Pelham Diner before going to work in the cafeteria at Pelham High School. She says running operations at Pelham Diner is the perfect fusion of her skills.

“The money aspect is the easy part for me,” said Darby.

But mastery of the hubcaps… not so much.

“I still can’t get the pancakes down right. I can get ‘em, but I can’t get them that big, then flip them!” said Darby. ” Listen, Tony is four steps ahead. If you watch him, And I watch a lot of things. His mind, if he’s looking at the slips, he’s four steps ahead on his grill of getting everything out and presentation is everything to him. I don’t know what kind of love Tony puts in it. But he puts a lot of love in his food.  So it’s not just whisking the pancake mix. It’s a little more to it than that.”

We sat down with Harris to talk about breakfast, his morning routine, and of course, the famous Pelham Diner “hubcaps.” Here’s an edited version of our conversation below.

Tell me about the pancakes. They are gigantic.

Tony Harris: I can’t explain it. But they actually changed. They were actually bigger than that. We had bigger plates at one point. That was our thing for breakfast. They’re something you can’t get anywhere else and they’re going to be cooked perfectly. But they’re just huge. I don’t get how people eat triple stacks. I mean, seriously. Adults can’t do it. I remember, there was a kid. He was maybe 12 years old. He ate a triple stack with meat on the side.

Let’s talk about the name. Why are they called “The Hubcaps?”

Because they’re the size of… well. You know. You get it. When I first came down here, they weren’t making them like they were in Homewood. And I was like “nah, man. You can make it bigger!” I was trying to teach them as I go. And they were like “Oh, you’re the one that makes “The Hubcaps.”

So, is there an official “Hubcap” eating contest? Can you get your picture on the wall if you eat a stack?

We didn’t make it official because I’d have to be the one to make them all the time when they do it! [laughs]

Actually, tell me about the Tony’s Tinys.

The owner’s wife, before he passed would always be like, “Surprise me.” And I would switch it up every time. And then I made the small ones. Once I started making them for people, they asked “Is it okay if we put it on the menu?” [laughs]. It’s a hassle because people want strawberries and pecans in it to mix it up and they’re small. It’s very hard to try and chop those up and put them into each one!

Tell me about how you make these pancakes. To me, what’s great about these is that they’re bigger than your average pancake, but they still have those crispy edges. And I’m a crispy edges lover.

Same here. There’s a way that I make the batter where it’s not too thick and not too watery. So, you still have the fluff. So, as I spread it. It’s almost like how they do pizzas. You know how they toss the pizza dough? But instead, I put it on the grill and I spread it out. Like I said, I care about what I do. So if I can’t eat it, I don’t want to serve it. I want it to look good and taste good.

I know you can’t answer this question, but take a stab at it. About how many pancakes do you think you make a week? Just estimate. Actually, think about a day and then a week.

Wow. An average week? Over 300. On Saturdays, I make nine pancake mixes, because Saturday we only serve breakfast. But I can make at least 40 pancakes in one tub. We go through at least six on a Saturday. It’s crazy.

What does your morning routine look like?

I basically do all the cooking and prep for breakfast for the whole day. That’s why I come early. We open at six. We used to come at five, but we grew. And as we grew, we had to cook more. So, instead of me trying to rush in an hour, I wanted to have two hours. So, I’m here at four o’clock in the morning and take an hour to get pre-cooks in the oven. My biscuits. My gravy. My grits. I do all this by myself. Every morning.

The biscuits are fantastic. I came here over the summer with a friend of mine who is a chef. And they’re just so perfect. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside!

Yes! So, like I said. I do care and I want it to look presentable and to look good. I’ve been training (the staff) to get it. But as long as they have their own way and their own method and the results are the same, it might not look the same. It might not look as neat or pretty or whatever. But if they don’t complain or send it back, that’s a plus for me. Because then I won’t have to worry about it when I’m not here. Or getting a phone call. But we finally got it balanced out.

What’s your favorite side to eat with one of your pancakes? Do you have a favorite?

I don’t. I don’t eat breakfast no more! Because at the time I need to cook it, I’m here every day.

Wait? You don’t eat breakfast?

No! I’m actually making an order of breakfast to take home today. Because I haven’t had breakfast in a while. That’s funny. [laughs]

You make hundreds of pancakes a week. Have you noticed any special way diners like their pancakes?

Some like theirs well done. Some like theirs fluffy. If they order fruit in it, you have to trust the process. Because if you flip it too early, then it’s not all the way done inside. If you add fillings, that’s another thing. Because the fruit is cold, so we keep it in the refrigerator. The pecans are not. But the way I do it, I want those fillings in every bite.

So, aside from the pancakes, what are the most popular breakfast items here?

It’s omelets and pastries. With pastries, you can switch it up with an egg plate and a side of meat. Or double bacon on the side and a big bowl of gravy. Even the oatmeal. We’ll sell 30 oatmeals in one day. I decorate that too. With the fruit on top. I care about it. I want mine decorated with the works and its going to be good. The omelets and the pancakes I know for sure are our top sellers.