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2019-12-12 11:03:48

By Chanel Adams, Image source: Mike Mozart

IHOP has gone from the International House of Pancakes to the International House of Burgers. The restaurant chain is interested in taking over the fast food industry. The restaurant chain is opening a line of restaurants that are said to have faster service and pancake bowls. The menu will include a wide variety of items, such as breakfast burritos and of course burgers.

Earlier this week, IHOP announced that it’s opening a new chain of restaurants called Flip’d. It’s not the same cozy, family-friendly service that you would get at a traditional IHOP. It’s a smaller and fast-paced restaurant that will be only available in larger cities. It looks like the IHOP wants to be the next Chipotle, but with pancakes and burgers.

While you’ll still get some of your IHOP classics such as Crispy Chicken and Steakburgers, there will also be new items such as Pancake Bowls, which are pancakes served in a bowl and topped with bacon pieces, cheese, or scrambled eggs. You can finally have your pancakes on the go. There’s also a Build-Your-Own Pancake Bar that includes breakfast burritos, salads, wraps, and more. The first Flip’d location is expected to open in Atlanta in April 2020. IHOP is also looking into opening additional locations in Denver, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

These new fast food restaurants are for busy people who live in dense areas. There is no waitstaff at these locations. Instead, you can order your food via digital kiosk or through an assembly line, similar to Chipotle or Sweetgreen. There’s also the option to order your food online and pick-up your items from a designated to-go area or have it delivered to your house.

This concept kind of makes sense since most people are too busy for a sit-down breakfast or to even make their own breakfast at home. But pancakes aren’t something that you would eat every morning. Not only are they fattening, but they’re also too heavy and sweet.

IHOP is more like the perfect hangover cure after a wild weekend. It doesn’t have to be eaten in a rush. It’s sweet and savory and just enough to hold you over. But IHOP believes that Flip’d will become a hit in America. They believe this chain of restaurants are exactly what Americans are looking for in the morning.

“Today, millions of Americans are settling for sub-par breakfast foods that are either microwaved or have been sitting under a heat lamp because they’re forced to grab something while at their usual coffee spot,” said Jay Johns, President of IHOP. “With Flip’d by IHOP, guests don’t have to compromise – now they can get freshly-made, all-day menu items like Pancake Bowls and Egg Sandwiches along with a hand-crafted espresso beverage for a good price and in a matter of minutes.” 

This latest move is just one of the three strategic parts of IHOP’s growth plan. The restaurant also hopes to launch a to-go lunch/dinner expansion in other major cities. There are currently over 1,700 restaurants the U.S. alone. In addition, there are over 100 IHOP restaurants around the world. Flip’d by IHOP will be its own stand-alone restaurant within the IHOP portfolio. But you can’t deny that IHOP seems to be interested in competing with the fast food industry.

Over the summer, IHOP changed its name and slapped a pancake in a burger. Back in June 2018, IHOP created noise and buzz on social media when it temporarily changed its name to IHOB to promote its new burgers. A year later, the restaurant chain added pancakes to its lineup. The trio of items called black angus beef pancakes include the Big IHOP Pancake (Burger), which includes an actual pancake between two meat patties.

There’s also the Garlic Butter Pancake (Steakburger) and the Loaded Philly Pancake (Steakburger.) IHOP wanted to do a playful twist on its name to prove that it is as serious about its burgers as it is about its pancakes, according to USA Today. The burgers were served with fries and were sold for a limited time, starting at $6.99.

It’s not clear whether these pancake burgers will pop up again at Flip’d. It turns out that the name change worked in their favor the last time because they sold four times more than they did previously. The chain claimed that it sold double their regular rate, according to IHOP chief marketing executive officer Brad Haley.

“Those who tweeted something, shall we say, unkind last year may find that they’re on The Bancake List, an aggregated list of Twitter users who tweeted at IHOP to stay in its lane,” he joked.

The original burger lineup featured the Big Brunch, the Classic, the Classic with Bacon, the Cowboy BBQ, the Jalapeno Kick, and the Mega Monster. IHOP wants to make it clear that its brand is more about pancakes. They’re aware that Americans love their fast food, which is why they’ve taken an interest in the industry.