As the syrupy scent of tradition wafts across Southern California, local diner chain NORMS is cooking up a breakfast rebellion. NORMS is flipping the script this National Pancake Day by pushing its specialty - the hotcake. Making a bold claim that its hotcakes are "fluffier, tastier and better," NORMS is challenging pancake loyalists to trade in their flat breakfast of choice for a free stack of what they call the superior option. All that's required is a download of the NORMS app and signing up as a loyalty member, as reported by KTLA.

With nearly 75 years of experience under its belt, NORMS is slinging its signature item at all 22 Los Angeles County locations. Yet, they're not the only ones celebrating this unofficial sweet breakfast holiday. IHOP is serving up its version of festivities with stacks of buttermilk pancakes. Falling every year on the date before Valentine's Day, IHOP offers a free short stack of pancakes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., according to NBC Los Angeles.

Not just about devouring fluffy breakfast treats, IHOP's National Pancake Day on Feb. 13 also represents a month-long campaign dubbed "The Month of Giving." Guests can donate at IHOP after consuming their complimentary pancakes or online any time through the end of the month. While IHOP's free pancakes are a gift for dine-in guests alone, the heart behind the gesture runs deep, offering patrons a chance to sprinkle a little generosity along with their syrup and butter.

Meanwhile, amid the clinking of cutlery on plates and the hum of morning chatter, NORMS' soon-to-open Las Vegas location stands as a testament to the diner's enduring legacy and growing appeal. Whether you're a devout pancake fan or a soon-to-be convert to the "church of hotcakes," Southern Californians will have a smorgasbord of options to choose from, come National Pancake Day—or should we say, National Hotcake Day, as NORMS might prefer, as per KTLA.