IHOP to IHOBut wait what?
June 5, 2018 2:45 PM   Subscribe

IHOP is changing its name, and making a PR game out of it. Is nothing sacred in 2018?
posted by Everydayville (148 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
Hoppy McHopface (did i win?)
posted by j_curiouser at 2:47 PM on June 5, 2018 [21 favorites]


The B stands for Blue. As in Pancake Blue.
posted by Nelson at 2:49 PM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]


The chain has been taken over by goblins, as terrified diners will soon discover.
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:52 PM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]


INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF BLOCKCHAIN
posted by boo_radley at 2:52 PM on June 5, 2018 [155 favorites]


They are rebranding as IHOBO, the menu is all going to be campfire beans and Woody Guthrie songs.
posted by Catblack at 2:54 PM on June 5, 2018 [14 favorites]


Bring back the indoors smoking section or I'm never going back.
posted by GoblinHoney at 2:55 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]


And the tiny NFL helmets
posted by thelonius at 2:57 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]


Is anyone else reminded of the o.b. tampons logo?

After a quick Twitter search: apparently yes
posted by bibliowench at 2:57 PM on June 5, 2018 [15 favorites]


it's a UK stovetop controlled by your iPhone? Am I in 2004 again?
posted by GuyZero at 2:59 PM on June 5, 2018 [4 favorites]


Should’ve gone Genius (Waffle) Bar: iHop ™
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:05 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


They've bought Hooters and the merged company will be the International House of Boobs
posted by stevis23 at 3:06 PM on June 5, 2018 [8 favorites]


International House of But Did We Really Have to Eat at a Restaurant Where the Tables are Permanently Sticky like the Floor of an Adult Theater?
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:06 PM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]


International House of but of course it's a PR stunt
posted by Frayed Knot at 3:07 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]


bepsi plue
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 3:09 PM on June 5, 2018 [13 favorites]


I'm guessing probably "breakfast" to break out of the only-pancakes branding...
posted by jim in austin at 3:11 PM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]


So on the one hand it's gonna be International House of Breakfast

But on the other hand if they were gonna change the name why not go for

Transgalactic Dwelling of Quickbreads
Paratime Institution of Flapjacks
Pancakes R Us
Uncle Moe's Family Feedbag
BUTTERHAUS
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:14 PM on June 5, 2018 [34 favorites]


Isn't this a thing where they should have asked "what is our core competency?"
posted by thelonius at 3:18 PM on June 5, 2018 [11 favorites]


You don't need to stoop to marketing stunts, IHOP. As a lover of brunch with a poor tolerance for hunger and crowds, you were already leagues ahead of all the popular hipster brunch places that have better food but take two hours to serve you. Your square mediocrity coupled with getting food in my stomach in less than an hour is all I needed. You don't need to change. You're perfect the way you are. I say this as someone who doesn't even eat pancakes.
posted by brook horse at 3:18 PM on June 5, 2018 [22 favorites]


Yeah it's clearly going to be breakfast but that is much more boring than essentially any alternative (also, wtf kind of name is "international house of breakfast"? the grammar of it grates somehow)
posted by quaking fajita at 3:18 PM on June 5, 2018


Bulgogi, obviously.
posted by mondo dentro at 3:18 PM on June 5, 2018 [10 favorites]


Interstellar House Of Buttplugs.
posted by egypturnash at 3:25 PM on June 5, 2018 [13 favorites]


See also: Long Island Iced Tea becoming Long Island Blockchain, solely for the momentary stock price bump.
posted by acb at 3:28 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


I don’t think strict accuracy is a high priority there. I mean, it wasn’t until surprisingly recently that they had a location outside the US (thereby making it, you know, international), and it was in Dubai
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:29 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]


International House of 🅱️
posted by scose at 3:29 PM on June 5, 2018 [13 favorites]


International House of Bob Evans is Too Far a Drive I Guess?

Seriously they don't need a new name they just need even slightly better food because I will take Bob Evans, Denny's, or Village Inn over them any time, depending on my geographic location.
posted by Sequence at 3:32 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]


The IHOP Twitter account has seemingly rejected "breakfast."
posted by AndrewInDC at 3:36 PM on June 5, 2018


In true pioneering spirit, they're no longer going to accept US dollars; it will soon become International House of Bitcoin -- and all food will be cooked by waste heat from servers.
posted by jamjam at 3:41 PM on June 5, 2018 [8 favorites]


If the "b" is truly lowercase then maybe we're looking for a three-word phrase that ends in "Ob."

Ingestible Heart Obstructions?
posted by AndrewInDC at 3:42 PM on June 5, 2018 [4 favorites]


iPad: Ingesting Pancakes As Dinner
posted by Liquidwolf at 3:44 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


Every time I read about Ihop I think of Richard Lewis on Letterman talking about restaurants that fail and are taken over by a third party that re-purposes the signage to save money ... punchline example was "International Shouse of Shancakes."

I still believe that this was real, even if it wasn't.
posted by user92371 at 3:49 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]


Wait. WAIT. Y'all. A lowercase b is a p mirrored upwards. I am not intelligent enough to know what that means but the fact that they chose a lower case b rather than uppercase has to mean SOMETHING. Someone less distracted than me do something with this!
posted by brook horse at 3:50 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]


Obvious BS. They didn't register the service mark.

Perhaps another attempt to push the "breakfastarian" thing they've been trying to market the past few years. http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4808:34mo14.2.19
posted by cgs06 at 3:53 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]


Bitcoin
Bort
Bulgar
Balogna
Baloney
Berylium
Bachanalia
Bacteria
Butyl Nitrite
Bastinado
Bathospheres
Belching
Bathos
Bibliomancy
Bilirubin
Blennophobia
Buteoninae

Buttslol
posted by jenkinsEar at 3:54 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]


Someone less distracted than me do something with this!

The logo is just the current one flipped along the horizontal axis. IHO are symmetrical, so you can't tell they're flipped too.
posted by SPrintF at 3:55 PM on June 5, 2018 [8 favorites]


The logo is just the current one flipped along the horizontal axis. IHO are symmetrical, so you can't tell they're flipped too.

Ooh you're good. I can imagine a "turning everything upside down" or w/e marketing campaign to go with it. However the smile isn't flipped, which makes it harder to buy this explanation, but also, I can see someone in a board room coming up with this and handwaving that part.
posted by brook horse at 3:58 PM on June 5, 2018


Isn't this a thing where they should have asked "what is our core competency?"

International House Of bad service?
posted by aubilenon at 3:59 PM on June 5, 2018 [8 favorites]


For 60 pancakin’ years, we’ve been IHOP. Now, we’re flippin’ our name to IHOb. Find out what it could b on 6.11.18. #IHOb

So underwhelmed I'm almost comatose.
posted by Splunge at 4:00 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]


International House of Bob Ross? Sadly probably not. It's brunch. Millennials love brunch right? At least that's what the Internet keeps telling me.
posted by Ashwagandha at 4:02 PM on June 5, 2018


the fact that they chose a lower case b rather than uppercase has to mean SOMETHING.

It means they can save some money on new signage by just taking the "P" and flipping it upside down
posted by obliterati at 4:04 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]


If you rotate it it, it's qOHI, Questionable Offerings, Horrible Idea.
posted by rodlymight at 4:06 PM on June 5, 2018 [20 favorites]


They're going to start serving all of their pancakes upside down! It's a madhouse! A madhouse!
posted by ckape at 4:07 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]


It's going to be a relatively obscure word (not Braunschweiger, but something like "bliss") that will form a pleasant image in the minds of their target audience, who don't want to be reminded they are eating flour all day.
posted by Brian B. at 4:09 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]


Isn't this a thing where they should have asked "what is our core competency?"

High fructose corn syrup delivery and distribution,
posted by madajb at 4:15 PM on June 5, 2018


International House of Puppies, except not a restaurant, it is a puppycam.
posted by betweenthebars at 4:20 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]


It's brunch.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:21 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]


I would love for it to be IHOBlueberries actually in the batter of our blueberry pancakes and not just piled on top, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Same with real maple syrup in every location.
posted by TedW at 4:28 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]


Cmon you losers ... it’s bOHI spelled backwards!
posted by chavenet at 4:29 PM on June 5, 2018


International House of B̤̥̬͈ͫ̊e̡̛̙̝͚͐͗̋̈͒ͣ̌͆ṉ̷͔͎̝̟̭̳͇̉ẗ͕͈̳̺͇̪̣͓̮́̍͗h͔ͥ̓̀̂ͧ̂i̠̗ͤ̏̕͢c̴̸̤̯̣͇͓̖̭̔̽̊ͥ̏̽̌ ͔͇͓͉̲̦ͪ̋ͤ̋͛̃͐͡ͅS̫̜̜̮̙̘̑ͥ̿͆ͬ̋͡͠l͎̪̙̞̙̬͒͊͞e̸̔͋ͦ̅͑̆̇͏̖̤é̖͕̳͈̱͠p̢̜͓̺͙̼͚̫̪̀̉͞e̢̧͎͖͚͕͚̠̜̝̤ͦ̉̓̋̇͐ͩ͛́r̨̼̝̹͈͇̱̻̠̋͊ͫ̌ͧ̈́ͩ͒̒ ̹̰̦̺͍ͦ̍̐̓́̔ͦͫ͘͠A̢̺͖̬̘̙̞̞̘̜ͩ̀̎ͫ̍̋͟w̴̶̵̤͕͓͂̾ă̷̙̪͔̞͙̟̫̻͇̾͋̈́͒͑͢k̩̪ͦͯ̍̑̎e͇̱̩̮̯̯̘̰ͣ̈́͂ͦ̐̓̒ͬ̒ṅ̨̢̠̜͔̉͒͝i̲̬͈͍̬̬̼͓̔͒ͨͮͤͧ̊͜nͪ̊ͨ͏̵̧͕͉̝̥̱̲̣̟gͩ͒̑̐͏̙̤͎̳͉̦ ͈͚͇̟̬͔̏ͤͩ̿͊S̘̖̦ͭ̈́͘̕o̸̯̝̣͍̹̠̹ͦͪ̎̂̾͑͆ơ̵̭̦͍̺ͫn̲̼͓͓̗̹̾̽̊̔̔̽͠ͅ.̥͔̟̤͓̰̮̝̑̐͘̕͜
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:31 PM on June 5, 2018 [13 favorites]


getting food in my stomach in less than an hour

The (very few) IHOPs around here have perpetual crowds, despite the presence of literally hundreds of diners that do the same thing better with less wait, and also have waiters named Niko wearing bow ties, to boot.

I don’t get it. Also IHOP is awful and has even worse coffee than diners. Somehow.
posted by uncleozzy at 4:40 PM on June 5, 2018 [3 favorites]


International House of Beanplating.
posted by 4ster at 4:43 PM on June 5, 2018 [10 favorites]


uncleozzy, I admit I am extrapolating from a datapoint of one (1). Maybe the one near my house is exceptionally good. All of the servers are, at least. I also can't drink coffee so you may be very right about that part.

...I admit that, not being able to consume pancakes or coffee, I may be less than qualified to review this particular restaurant.
posted by brook horse at 4:55 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


Surely, in this age of America turning its back on the rest of the world, it only makes sense to rebrand as the National House of Pancakes
posted by Flashman at 4:59 PM on June 5, 2018 [4 favorites]


When I was a kid, I'd upend the Maple syrup dispenser onto my plate of strawberry whipped cream with extra butter on top pancakes. The server would come round and check after a while, and if necessary, put a fresh pot of syrup out. Usually I'd run out of plate before I ran out of syrup. But gosh, pancakes are so sponge-like.

I was a little excitable as a child, I'm told.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:00 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


National House of Pancakes

COMRADE BUTTERWORTH: I think you mean Imperial.
posted by Fizz at 5:11 PM on June 5, 2018 [4 favorites]


I don't like pancakes so can't evaluate those, but the other breakfast food I've had at IHOP was definitely sub-par. Unless it is the only place available near a highway motel, it's not a place I choose to eat at, regardless of the name. Fixing the mediocre food would seem like a better effort than rebranding.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:15 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


International House Of Bancakes
posted by ardgedee at 5:31 PM on June 5, 2018 [4 favorites]


A terrible breakfast at IHOP changed my life.

I was still living in the city I went to college in a couple of years after graduation and I drove around looking for breakfast one Sunday morning. Finding nothing worthwhile I ended up having breakfast at an IHOP and it was one of the worst breakfasts of my life.

Sad and dejected I got in my car and drove to San Diego where I sat down in a Starbucks and searched for apartments on Craigslist. I found a few within walking distance of me and signed a lease an hour later. I went back to the city I was working in and told my boss that I could either work remotely or he could fire me. I spent the next several years working for that company and I moved to NYC with a girl I met in San Diego, then we moved to LA a bit later and finally up to the Bay Area where we broke up and I met the woman who would become my wife.

I'm sure some of that would have still happened had I not had one of the worst breakfasts of my life that morning, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back and it broke me out of my shell.

So thanks to IHOP for being so awful and I'm sure the rebranding is something lame like International House of Breakfast.
posted by mikesch at 5:56 PM on June 5, 2018 [13 favorites]


Bacon
(this decision has Big Keto written all over it)
posted by Iris Gambol at 5:58 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]


It's a headfake; the actual logo will be IHODfB, International House Of Dessert for Breakfast, which is what it's been for some time.

My "IHOP changed my life" story is pretty straightforward; I went to the one near my high school after getting up early to go to a morning school assembly, only to find out that we had an hour to kill, and having the chocolate chip pancakes and.... coffee. My most constant friend, if not lover, since then. It truly transformed my life.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:19 PM on June 5, 2018


Baphomet.
The dark lord shall rule from his Houses across all nations.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:22 PM on June 5, 2018 [6 favorites]


butts.
International House of butts...

purile enjoyment ensured!
posted by Nanukthedog at 6:28 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


The International House of Pancakes has never been international, or made of pancakes.
They're merely changing the name to avert a scandal.
posted by Fupped Duck at 6:29 PM on June 5, 2018 [4 favorites]


Could it be that they're trying to assuage/draw in a right wing market that they indirectly beat up on in and out of court in 2010?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_House_of_Prayer
posted by kneecapped at 6:46 PM on June 5, 2018


Internation House of Cream and Sugar
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:03 PM on June 5, 2018


Pan-Galactic Pancake Blaster
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:06 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]


International House of Blart
posted by duffell at 7:18 PM on June 5, 2018


We have heard your feedback and would like you to know that we are going to focus on what makes us who we are at heart, your one stop carbs, caffeine, and Wi-Fi hotspot; Pancakes, Pancakes, Pancakes. No more distractions on our menu just pancake breakfasts all day long.
posted by Ignorantsavage at 7:53 PM on June 5, 2018


They're merging with HOBby Lobby?
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:03 PM on June 5, 2018


International House of You're Gonna Regret This Later.
(Sorry, I can't really help out with this B thing.)
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 8:14 PM on June 5, 2018


It’s not breakfast and it’s not brunch. IHOPs are open all day and serve lunch and dinner. I feel like this is one of those marketing things where they’re gonna try to shed their association with the A.M. hours and trick people into going throughout the day.
posted by chrchr at 8:15 PM on June 5, 2018 [1 favorite]


International House of Bicakes, because it's Pride but they don't wanna blow your mind with pan pancakes.
posted by knuckle tattoos at 8:22 PM on June 5, 2018 [2 favorites]


Of all the letters to change.

- barely “international” enough to be technically true
- a restaurant is not a “house,” no matter how sloped the roof is
- who includes “of” in an acronym?
posted by Sys Rq at 9:09 PM on June 5, 2018


who includes “of” in an acronym?

Waitresses Of Warcraft
posted by thelonius at 9:15 PM on June 5, 2018 [5 favorites]


*standing at mic in front of brick wall, reading in halting tones directly from scribbled notecard*

Did you, uh, there's—they did some corporate rebranding, they—so did you hear about how the, the, you know that breakfast restaurant, uh—

*squinting*

IHOB is—IHOB, I hear that's uh, Annie Wilkes' favorite breakfast joint?
posted by cortex at 9:25 PM on June 5, 2018




There was nothing wrong with the previous name and I hardly even eat pancakes much. Come onnnnnnnnn, must everything "rebrand?"
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:33 PM on June 5, 2018


Interstitial Hose Of badcakes
posted by a humble nudibranch at 11:06 PM on June 5, 2018 [4 favorites]


They're literally flipping things upside-down; all the same meals will be served, but they'll be placed directly onto the table and covered with a plate.
posted by NMcCoy at 12:06 AM on June 6, 2018 [2 favorites]


Ok I get that some IHOP's are bad, but they are my favorite of the breakfast chains (i.e. Denny's, Waffle House, etc.) for 2 reasons:

1) They are the only ones that have strawberry syrup! It's the best!
2) My must for breakfast when eating out is biscuits and gravy, but I don't like breakfast sausage and IHOP is the only one of the chains that uses regular peppered gravy instead of sausage gravy.

I usually try to find a local diner instead of IHOP but sometimes deep down in your heart you love the bad restaurants too (see also: Jack in the Box)
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:06 AM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]


IHOP is weirdly mediocre. but it is great when you are daydrinking and am not sure where else you can go to get some privacy.
posted by yueliang at 1:15 AM on June 6, 2018 [2 favorites]


International house of barf
posted by nikaspark at 1:53 AM on June 6, 2018


needs more whimsy!
posted by flabdablet at 3:09 AM on June 6, 2018


The logo is just the current one flipped along the horizontal axis. IHO are symmetrical, so you can't tell they're flipped too.

Perhaps they are opening their first restaurant and in the Southern Hemisphere?
posted by hwestiii at 4:08 AM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]


International House of Poochie. Rastafied by b%.
posted by ian1977 at 4:12 AM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]


Perhaps they are opening their first restaurant and in the Southern Hemisphere?

Well the only two pancake chains in Australia are a) mediocre or b) owned by Scientologists, so I for one would welcome the competition.
posted by Merus at 5:03 AM on June 6, 2018


CarbSource
posted by warriorqueen at 5:07 AM on June 6, 2018


Bullshit?
Bankruptcy?
Batter?
Bad Food?
posted by SystematicAbuse at 5:32 AM on June 6, 2018


Bacteria?
posted by SystematicAbuse at 5:37 AM on June 6, 2018


International House of But Nothing Else Is Open At 3 AM
posted by delfin at 5:37 AM on June 6, 2018 [5 favorites]


Based on the only reason I've gone there in the past 15 years, International House of Band Geeks Who Need Somewhere To Go After A Concert.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:08 AM on June 6, 2018 [3 favorites]


It seems so very 2018 to ditch the true part of their name and keep the lie.
posted by srboisvert at 6:13 AM on June 6, 2018 [5 favorites]


It thought it was IHOIS (International House of Insufficient Staffing) but maybe it's just me.
posted by tommasz at 6:45 AM on June 6, 2018


International House of Poochie. Rastafied by b%.
International House of Brunch- not breakfast, not lunch but you get a slice of cantaloupe at the end. It's a good meal!
posted by The_Vegetables at 6:53 AM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]


I can't call it Infernal House of Paincakes anymore, I guess.
posted by Foosnark at 7:04 AM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]



They've bought Hooters and the merged company will be the International House of Boobs


Hooter's refer to owls hooting. It has nothing to do with boobs.
posted by Damienmce at 7:14 AM on June 6, 2018


We don’t know yet what it means, but thank you all for suggestions, valued Internetters.
posted by Laotic at 7:19 AM on June 6, 2018


I don’t think strict accuracy is a high priority there. I mean, it wasn’t until surprisingly recently that they had a location outside the US (thereby making it, you know, international), and it was in Dubai

*cough*Canada*cough*
posted by jacquilynne at 7:33 AM on June 6, 2018


It's not called International because of its overseas franchises but because when it opened in 1958, it served French toast and crepes, and that was considered "international" back then, in the days when people put shrimp in Jello and stuff. Source.
posted by adamg at 9:04 AM on June 6, 2018 [3 favorites]


The German and Swedish pancakes are still on the menu, right?
posted by Rash at 9:17 AM on June 6, 2018


Okay, the problem with the name was never "pancakes." It's "international." There is absolutely nothing "international" about the cuisine served. I suppose there are locations all over the world, but all the super big chains have that feature. They don't call "Subway" the "international house of shitty sandwiches made of yoga mats."

Also, Waffle House is a million times better, don't @ me
posted by zeusianfog at 9:22 AM on June 6, 2018


May I point out the obvious? The whole point here is to avoid brand confusion with the other IHOP.

Maybe it's because they finally lost their lawsuit against the other (real!) IHOP.
posted by flug at 9:51 AM on June 6, 2018


International House of Blort, obvs.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:54 AM on June 6, 2018


My problem with IHOP is that for a place so aggressively mediocre they've got surprisingly high prices.

I can go to IHOP and get meh eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, and pancakes for $9.99 or I can go to a local absolutely amazing breakfast place and get the exact same food but overwhelmingly better for $10.50.

Considering their quality there's no way IHOP should cost as much as it does.

At least McDonalds recognizes their mediocrity and charges less for their toadburgers than you'd pay for a high quality burger. But IHOP tries to pretend that it can charge decent food prices for their slop.
posted by sotonohito at 10:24 AM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]


Maybe it's because they finally lost their lawsuit against the other (real!) IHOP.
I thought this would be in reference to the other IHOP - The Original Pancake House
What is it with pancakes and houses? Were all these places named by 3 year olds?
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:23 PM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]


in the days when people put shrimp in Jello

Say what you want about the horrorshow that is today's America, but at least we don't have to put up with this anymore.
posted by AFABulous at 1:44 PM on June 6, 2018 [3 favorites]


I Heart Obesity? Wait...that's too on the nose. I'm going with I Heart Obstruction. Could be arteries, could be wink, wink something else. Let's just say that I heard from a friend of a friend of a recently facelifted friend that steak is gonna be featured very prominently on their dinner menu and as for beverages, they're swapping out that yucky Diet Pepsi with the nostalgic 1990's New York hip flavorings of Diet Coke.
posted by xigxag at 2:22 PM on June 6, 2018


> What is it with pancakes and houses? Were all these places named by 3 year olds?

Just another powerhouse ad campaign from the Indianapolis House of Promotions.
posted by davelog at 2:46 PM on June 6, 2018 [2 favorites]


What is it with pancakes and houses? Were all these places named by 3 year olds?

Probably trying to zap the comfort food associations from childhood
posted by thelonius at 2:58 PM on June 6, 2018


I'd actually go back at least once if they'd bring back buckwheat pancakes.
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:17 PM on June 6, 2018


What is it with pancakes and houses? Were all these places named by 3 year olds?

From a little reading, I infer that "pancake house" was a slang term for breakfast restaurants in the early days of automotive road tripping in the 50s.
posted by rhizome at 3:18 PM on June 6, 2018


What is it with pancakes and houses? Were all these places named by 3 year olds?

Pancake house. Waffle hut. Pizza parlor. Burger joint.

It's just how pancakes do.
posted by rokusan at 4:08 PM on June 6, 2018 [1 favorite]




We stop at pancakes house!
posted by thelonius at 5:37 PM on June 6, 2018




Pancakes are like the food version of a house of flavor.
posted by rhizome at 8:14 PM on June 6, 2018


Waffle hut. Pizza parlor.

Stuffed crust waffles?
posted by Sys Rq at 9:26 PM on June 6, 2018


Stroopwafelzza
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:33 PM on June 6, 2018


Even though I live in Seattle, I've totally been to the original pancake house in Alpharetta, GA. Will be there again in about three weeks. The omlettes are too big to eat...
posted by Windopaene at 10:42 PM on June 6, 2018


Turns out it was burgers. Somehow even more anti-climactic than I thought it would be.

Also, this post is missing the ihob tag.
posted by jedicus at 6:49 AM on June 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


I have altered the tags.
posted by cortex at 7:09 AM on June 11, 2018 [5 favorites]


Pray he does not alter them further.
posted by sotonohito at 7:45 AM on June 11, 2018 [11 favorites]


This meal is getting worse all the time.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:56 AM on June 11, 2018 [5 favorites]


this will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man
posted by entropicamericana at 9:53 AM on June 11, 2018 [2 favorites]


So now they're going to try to compete with (possibly regional) Five Guys, The Habit, and other sit-down'ish burger places? They'll be dead in five years.
posted by rhizome at 9:58 AM on June 11, 2018


...as if everything wasn't terrible

...as if there weren't already $BIGNUM mostly undifferentiated burger chains

...in what universe is this a good idea

#thedarkesttimeline #savethebreakfast
posted by seyirci at 10:24 AM on June 11, 2018 [3 favorites]




My impression from spending 30 seconds clicking things on their website is that this is a dumb limited time promotion and not a dumb serious permanent rebranding.
posted by aubilenon at 3:42 PM on June 11, 2018


Like for instance, the title of the page is still "Pancakes. Pancakes. Pancakes. - Welcome to IHOP"

I'm a vegetarian so maybe I'm bad at thinking of burger ideas, and the reason they're not doing it is that it's gross and nobody would want it, but it looks like they aren't offering any burgers that use two pancakes instead of a bun.

Is it possible that they didn't think of that? It doesn't seem possible.
posted by aubilenon at 3:48 PM on June 11, 2018 [2 favorites]


burger ideas

The excellence of a burger is not in found in clever novelties (avocado and canadian bacon! shittake mushrooms and feta cheese!) , but in executing a simple idea well.
posted by thelonius at 3:57 PM on June 11, 2018 [4 favorites]


and of course Wendy's Twitter is already going into them hard:

Why does Wendy's Twitter have to be such a megabitch?
posted by thelonius at 3:57 PM on June 11, 2018


Burger King also having its fun.
Twitter
Facebook
posted by linux at 4:13 PM on June 11, 2018


The excellence of a burger is not in found in clever novelties ..., but in executing a simple idea well.

We are talking about IHOP here.
posted by aubilenon at 4:41 PM on June 11, 2018 [3 favorites]


> My impression from spending 30 seconds clicking things on their website is that this is a dumb limited time promotion and not a dumb serious permanent rebranding.

From the USA Today article that jedicus linked to: "The change is not permanent, a company spokeswoman said, but rather is a move to promote its new burger line."
posted by ardgedee at 4:52 PM on June 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


All I can say is, thank God that somebody's finally stepping up to fill the inexplicable dearth of hamburgers in the fast food and fast-casual segments of the restaurant industry. Lord knows where people would have been able to go for burgers if IHOP hadn't changed their menu.
posted by ardgedee at 4:55 PM on June 11, 2018 [7 favorites]


The excellence of a burger is not in found in clever novelties (avocado and canadian bacon! shittake mushrooms and feta cheese!) , but in executing a simple idea well.

There's a reason Five Guys is my go-to for a burger. I can do just as well at home, but they have all the toppings prepped and everything.
posted by mikelieman at 5:27 PM on June 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


I mean, it's all just going to be Sysco, right?
posted by rhizome at 7:16 PM on June 11, 2018 [2 favorites]


Well, the one thing I will give IHOP is that you can get a fried egg on your burger there, which is truly pretty darn good.

But otherwise?

Meh. Their burgers are mediocre and overpriced for their quality. Like everything else they do, they want to charge decent restaurant prices for bleh restaurant quality.

IHOP: Where you can pay high prices for mediocre food!
posted by sotonohito at 7:45 PM on June 11, 2018


I do know somebody who only gets burgers when she goes to IHOP, and she actually likes going there for burgers. I've tried it myself and it's actually pretty decent. I'd say it's worth the price for casual-dining service at that quality, but IHOP restaurants do vary greatly in quality across the country. Luckily my local ones have always been pretty satisfying. That fried egg on top is delicious.
posted by numaner at 10:40 PM on June 11, 2018


Well, the one thing I will give IHOP is that you can get a fried egg on your burger there, which is truly pretty darn good.

That's one of my favorites from Steak & Shake.
posted by radwolf76 at 12:58 AM on June 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


you can get a fried egg on your burger there, which is truly pretty darn good

The first US chain to offer a decent simulacrum of the standard Australian Hamburger With The Lot And Pineapple is going to make serious bank.
posted by flabdablet at 5:14 AM on June 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


I have desired an Australian burger ever since I visited there in about 2005 and it completely mystifies me that of all the hundreds of burger chains and thousands of burger-serving restaurants I have seen in America, precisely zero of them have picked up on the idea.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 2:20 PM on June 14, 2018


Didn't Chili's or Jack In The Box once offer a hamburger with a pineapple ring in it?
posted by rhizome at 2:30 PM on June 14, 2018


A mere pineapple ring does not an Aussie hamburger make.

Making an Aussie hamburger requires commitment.
posted by flabdablet at 12:28 AM on June 15, 2018


Also beets.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:32 AM on June 15, 2018 [2 favorites]


and a blueberry muffin, and furikake, and two pieces of unchewed Juicy Fruit.
posted by rhizome at 12:45 AM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]


Your mockery cannot disturb the imperturbable serenity I experience from knowing that of the two of us, I am the one with ready access to the fast food of the gods.
posted by flabdablet at 7:51 AM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]


Remember if you live in the Northern Hemisphere that you have to make your Aussie Burgers upside down or you can't really capture the magic.
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:30 PM on June 15, 2018 [2 favorites]


Your mockery cannot disturb the imperturbable serenity I experience from knowing that of the two of us, I am the one with ready access to the fast food of the gods.

Wash it down with a Bloody Mary.
posted by rhizome at 2:57 PM on June 15, 2018 [1 favorite]


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