KENNETT, Mo. – “What’re you going to do today, Napoleon?” The answer to that is to visit a local pancake house in Kennett, Missouri.
John’s Waffle and Pancake House welcomed unexpected visitors Sunday morning: Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, and Jon Gries. Otherwise known as Napoleon Dynamite, Pedro, and Uncle Rico from the 2004 comedy movie “Napoleon Dynamite.”
Dona Ramadani is the owner of the pancake spot and said the day began just as any other weekend day. It was busy with a line out the door when the three appeared at the door, and coincidentally, there were only three seats at the bar left.
It wasn’t Dona who immediately noticed the crew, but rather one of her neighbors who pointed it out.
“We were all so excited about it,” Ramadani said. “One of the girls asked (Heder), ‘Are you Napoleon?’ and he just put his glasses on and shook his head…they were very, very nice about it.”
The trio had just finished up an event the night before in Paragould, Arkansas, which held a full screening of the film along with a discussion with the cast and audience members.
Although Dona and the employees didn’t get to speak with them as much, she said the cast chatted and took pictures the whole time with other customers.
“(I was) shocked at how nice they were letting everybody take pictures—like it didn’t bother them at all, and that really shows good character on their behalf,” Ramadani said. “I’m just glad I can have folks whenever I can..it was a busy day, but it was eventful.”
The visit to the state comes at a time of speculation regarding whether or not fans can expect to see a sequel of the beloved movie anytime soon. According to Collider, Efren Ramirez noted in a recent interview that “Everyone wants a sequel—and I can say this legally, that the door’s not closed yet.”
