Beer, pancakes and megaphones: What to expect during an Indy 500 weekend at Charlie Brown's

The 317 Project tells stories of life in all of Indianapolis’ vibrant neighborhoods – 317 words at a time. This month's series, 500 for 500, honors the Month of May with stories about the Indianapolis 500 and the everyday people involved with the race in 500 words.

A mile south of the entrance to the racing capital of the world is Charlie Brown's Pancake & Steakhouse.

A place where the waiters call you “hun” and the guy seated next to you knows what the guy walking in will order before he sits down.

A place where rock 'n' roll reverberates from the speakers, pancake batter sizzles on the grill and motorsports paraphernalia covers every wall from floor to ceiling.

Deborah Keith has been a server there for over 30 years. She considers it her second home and the staff and customers within like family.

317 Project: Indy's hidden oasis rumored to have inspired a Humphrey Bogart film

Some call her the queen, others call her the spoon lady: a nickname acquired due to the two-foot silver spoon she often carries and occasionally bops a customer with (only the ones she likes), she says.

However, most call her "Debbie."

“I’m very good at picking or stirring up trouble,” Keith says. “You have to have stuff to laugh about.”

Indy 500 race day

Each year, Keith, 67, looks forward to the Indy 500 weekend, a time when thousands of people from across the world pour into Speedway, pack along Main Street and pile into Charlie Brown's.

Keith arrives to work race day morning at 5:30, before opening at 6:00. To enter, she pushes past a long line of patrons waiting at the door, some standing, some seated in lawn chairs, some with coolers, drinking beer.

To manage Charlie Brown's crowd on a weekend where over 200 pounds of pancake batter are consumed, a few rules are in order, Keith says – eat, pay and leave.

Customers receive a friendly annual reminder by the restaurant’s owner – a 74-year-old woman – who Keith said climbs onto a chair with a megaphone in-hand and shouts the rules to the crowd below.

“It’s hectic, but it’s fun,” Keith says with a laugh.

One of her favorite things is seeing the familiar faces that return each year.

Like the guy from New York who showed up with his own megaphone and jokingly yelled back in rebellion; or the 80-year-old man who cried after having his picture taken with Keith, thinking he might not make it to see next year.

“Yes you will,” Keith told him.

Another rule, Keith says, is nobody skips the line on race weekend.

This includes racing dignitaries like A.J. Foyt, Roger Penske and Johnny Rutherford; and racing fans like Kim Kardashian, whose assistant Keith said had to wait in line the year Kardashian attended the Indy 500 in 2010.

“We've got people in their 80s and stuff standing in line,” Keith said. “We weren't going to let somebody young just zip to the front."

The reason why, Keith said, “everybody that comes in here is important.”

More: This father-son duo watches the 'pageantry' of Indy 500 as fans and 'yellow shirts'

Whether it's the smack of a silver spoon, the warmth of a hug or the comfort of a smile, at Charlie Brown’s Pancake & Steakhouse, if it’s coming from Keith, it’s coming from a place of love.

Brandon is also a Report for America corps member with the GroundTruth Project, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and around the world.

Report for America, funded by both private and public donors, covers up to 50% of a reporter's salary. It’s up to IndyStar to find the other half, through local community donors, benefactors, grants or other fundraising activities.

If you would like to make a personal, tax-deductible contribution to his position, you can make a one-time donation online or a recurring monthly donation via IndyStar.com/RFA.

You can also donate by check, payable to “The GroundTruth Project.” Send it to Report for America, IndyStar, c/o The GroundTruth Project, 10 Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135. Please put IndyStar/Report for America in the check memo line.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 weekend at Charlie Brown's Pancake & Steakhouse