IHOP is back after a brief but purposeful name change, and the restaurant chain is apologizing to customers for the ruse with cheap pancakes!
“We’re giving away 60¢ short stacks on July 17 from 7a-7p for IHOP’s 60th birthday. That’s right, IHOP!” the chain tweeted on Monday, July 9. “We’d never turn our back on pancakes (except for that time we faked it to promote our new burgers.)”
Last month, IHOP had the internet in a tizzy when it announced it was changing its name from the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) to the International House of Burgers (IHOb) but, in addition to the tweet, the fast-casual eatery has officially confirmed the revamped moniker was all part of an elaborate publicity stunt to draw attention to the chain’s new line of hamburgers and establish IHOP as something other than a breakfast destination.
“When we launched our new Ultimate Steakburgers last month, we were blown away by the public’s reaction to our IHOb campaign since, ultimately, it demonstrated how much love there is for the IHOP brand and our pancakes,” chief marketing officer Brad Haley said in a press release. “Millions and millions of people had a lot of fun ‘blaying’ along with the idea of flipping the ‘P’ in our name to a ‘B’ and guessing what the ‘B’ could be. However, we are, and always will be, the International House of Pancakes.”
Though IHOP’s pancakes didn’t disappear from the menu during the IHOb fiasco, which was never meant to be permanent, the chain plans to offer customers a short stack of buttermilk pancakes for just 60 cents on Tuesday, July 17, in honor of the pancake house’s 60th anniversary.
“The IHOP name is synonymous with pancakes, pancakes, pancakes – a rallying cry that sets our menu and our restaurants apart from every other dining destination,” Haley continued. “To celebrate six decades of pancakin’ and the love our guests have shown us since we first opened our doors back in 1958, we’re treating folks to a 60-cent short stack of our world-famous buttermilk pancakes – the pancake that started it all – on Tuesday, July 17.”
Talk about a worthy apology!
