Not everyone is smiling about IHOPs new “branding.”
Last week, IHOP announced they were changing their name to IHOb, and the country, much like the restaurant’s iconic pancakes, flipped. For days fans of America’s breakfast sweetheart were left wondering what the “b” could be. Breakfast? Bacon? Brunch? The restaurant chain, in a bout of taunting they couldn’t seem to resist, teased out several of their own options including biscuit, barnacles, and beluga. But finally, they revealed their new moniker: International House of…
Burgers?
Yes, the chain that has been putting the flap in flapjack for the past 60 years has appeared to have had an identity crisis and changed its name to boast that, even though they offer more than 60 different breakfast options, they make lunch and dinner plates and entrees too, including, you guessed it, burgers. But I, along with most of Twitter, including the likes of Burger King and Whataburger, have to ask: does anyone go to IHOP for anything other than pancakes? Sure, most of their food is pretty fantastic. I have had their burger before and walked out the door after happy with my choice, and my mom swears their steak is delicious, but come on: it’s not the International House of Pancakes for nothing.
Like countless others, I’ve spent many an hour hanging out in a cracked leather booth in the always slightly too chilly establishment with its blue roof and smiling logo, hours filled with laughter, orange juice, and pancakes. As a kid, IHOP was the go-to road trip spot for my dad and me. We’d slip inside after hours on the road, and I’d order the Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity® pancakes, which satiated my sugar fix and satisfied my dad as being “healthy” because it included fruit. In high school, my friends and I, liberated from the prepubescent humiliation of having to be driven around by our parents, would head over to our local palace of pancakes for our seasonal favorites, falling in love with the pumpkin spice pancakes.
Once I hit college, IHOP became our 24-haven in the wee hours between nighttime and morning when McDonald’s and Taco Bell were too sketchy to visit. We’d smile sympathetically at the lone server as 20 of us would pile into a booth and order 20 different breakfast combinations. I always went for the 2x2x2, getting the perfect mix of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
I’ve stopped in IHOPs all over the country, reassured by the fact that my breakfast of champions, my most important meal of the day (no matter what time of day) would be just as delightful and just as tasty as always. IHOP, to me, was a breakfast paradise. But when I woke up Monday morning, it seemed like I was being forced out by the very paradise itself. I rushed to Twitter and found that many like me were heartbroken by the seeming betrayal and were planning on turning their back forever on the 1,700-location chain of morning Americana.
However, before you bid adieu and head over to Denny’s, IHOP’s cousin who is weirdly obsessed with unneeded movie tie-ins, don’t fret. They are still offering everything else on the menu. The “IHOb” name change is only “for the time being,” according to a company press release, to promote their new, limited line of steakburgers, and the familiar name we all know and love will be back soon. So, in the meantime, why not try their new Brunch Burger?
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