IHOP

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American restaurant chain

title: "IHOP" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1958-establishments-in-california", "companies-based-in-glendale,-california", "companies-based-in-los-angeles", "fast-food-chains-of-the-united-states", "pancake-houses", "hamburger-restaurants", "fast-food-franchises", "restaurants-established-in-1958", "restaurants-in-los-angeles", "1976-mergers-and-acquisitions", "companies-that-filed-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-in-1982"] description: "American restaurant chain" topic_path: "technology/web" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IHOP" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American restaurant chain ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

FieldValue
nameIHOP Restaurants LLC
logoIHOP logo.svg
logo_captionLogo used since 2015
trade_nameIHOP
typeSubsidiary
industryRestaurants
founded
Burbank, California
foundersJerry Lapin, Al Lapin Jr. and Albert Kallis
hq_locationGlendale, California, U.S.
num_locations1,841 (as of December 31, 2022)
areas_served
key_peopleLawrence Kim (president)
products
revenueUS$349.6 million
revenue_year2006
operating_incomeUS$72.8 million
income_year2006
profitUS$141.1 million
profit_year2006
num_employees32,300
num_employees_year2007
parentDine Brands
(1976–present)
website
::

| name = IHOP Restaurants LLC | logo = IHOP logo.svg | logo_caption = Logo used since 2015 | trade_name = IHOP | type = Subsidiary | industry = Restaurants | founded = Burbank, California | founders = Jerry Lapin, Al Lapin Jr. and Albert Kallis | hq_location = Glendale, California, U.S. | num_locations = 1,841 (as of December 31, 2022) | areas_served = | key_people = Lawrence Kim (president) | products = | revenue = US$349.6 million | revenue_year = 2006 | operating_income = US$72.8 million | income_year = 2006 | profit = US$141.1 million | profit_year = 2006 | num_employees = 32,300 | num_employees_year = 2007 | parent = Dine Brands (1976–present) | website =

IHOP Restaurants LLC ( ; acronym for International House of Pancakes) is an American multinational pancake house restaurant chain that specializes in American breakfast foods. It is owned by Dine Brands—a company formed after IHOP's purchase of Applebee's, with 99% of the restaurants run by independent franchisees. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/The_exterior_of_a_modern_IHOP_restaurant_in_Greenville,_South_Carolina_03.jpg" caption="The exterior of a modern IHOP in [[Greenville, South Carolina"] ::

While IHOP's focus is on breakfast foods, it also offers a menu of lunch and dinner items. The company has 1,841 locations in the Americas (United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Guatemala), the Middle East (United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar), South Asia (India and Pakistan), and Southeast Asia (Philippines), including 161 that are owned by area licensees and 1,680 that are franchised. While many of its locations are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the chain's minimum operating hours are 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

History

Jerry Lapin, Al Lapin, and Albert Kallis founded International House of Pancakes in the Los Angeles, California, area in 1958 with the help of Sherwood Rosenberg and William Kaye. The first restaurant opened on July 16, 1958, at 4301 W. Riverside Drive in Burbank, California. The second and third locations at 8555 Vesper Avenue in Panorama City, California, and 3625 Stocker Avenue in Baldwin Hills, California, (a former Brown Derby restaurant) are still open for business.

The first prototype design for IHOP building was a steep-roofed A-frame building with a distinctive blue roof; the last such location to be built was completed in 1979. While most IHOP locations no longer use the A-frame buildings, several still exist around the U.S.[[File:Downtown Portland Ore International House of Pancakes in 1983.jpg|thumb|left|An IHOP in [[Portland, Oregon]], in 1983, with the older look and "International House of Pancakes" signage]]In 1973, the chain's name was shortened to "IHOP" for marketing purposes, using a cartoon kangaroo in its commercials at the time, and since then the full name and acronym have been officially interchangeable.

In 1976, International Industries was renamed to IHOP, Inc., and IHOP Corporation was founded as a new holding firm for IHOP, Love's Wood Pit Barbecue, and Original House of Pies (which was sold shortly afterwards). In 1979, it was purchased by Wienerwald Holding, the owners of Wienerwald and Lum's chains. Wienerwald later declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1982, and sold IHOP Corp in 1983 to SVIDO, who hadn't been involved in the restaurant business previously.

The breakfast food menu later expanded (especially in the 1980s) to include standard lunch and dinner items found in similar restaurant chains such as Sambo's and Denny's. In 1976, at the same time as reorganization, International Industries became IHOP. In December 2019, IHOP announced plans to launch a chain of fast casual breakfast restaurants called Flip'd.

Acquisition of Applebee's

On July 16, 2007, IHOP Corporation announced a plan to acquire the bar-and-grill chain Applebee's in an all-cash transaction, valued at approximately US$2.1 billion. In the arrangement, Applebee's stock holders would receive $25.50 a share. IHOP stated it would franchise most of Applebee's 500 company-owned facilities. Applebee's had 1,943 restaurants worldwide at the time, including those operated by franchisees.

Applebee's shareholders approved the acquisition with a 70% vote. A number of executives from Applebee's voted against the offer. The chain's largest individual shareholder, Applebee's director Burton "Skip" Sack, called the IHOP offer unfair to its shareholders and stated he planned to sue IHOP for a higher price to be paid to him. As part of the purchase, a brand remarketing scheme and revitalization of the Applebee's image was intended. The buyout successfully closed on November 29, 2007, and the corporate entity IHOP changed its name to DineEquity on June 2, 2008.

Menu

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/IHOP_Cheesecake_Pancake.jpg" caption="IHOP Cheesecake Pancakes"] ::

While IHOP's focus is on breakfast, serving pancakes, waffles, French toast, and omelettes, it also offers a menu of lunch and dinner items such as sandwiches, burgers, and salads. Some IHOP locations also feature coffee bars, where guests can order espresso drinks.{{cite web | title = Building Coffee Culture | website = Restaurant Business Online | url = https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/beverage/building-coffee-culture | access-date = 22 December 2024

Locations

The company has 1,841 locations in the Americas, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/The_interior_of_a_modern_IHOP_restaurant_in_Greenville,_South_Carolina_01.jpg" caption="The interior of a modern IHOP in the United States"] ::

Franchising agreements with M.H. Alshaya, an international restaurant-franchising firm, resulted in an agreement for Alshaya to open as many as forty IHOP locations in the Middle East, beginning in 2012. By the end of 2018, IHOP restaurants operated in six Middle Eastern countries: Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. In 2016, IHOP expanded into Central America, opening in Panama, and later in 2019 into South America, opening three locations in Ecuador and one location in Peru.

IHOP Express' first location opened in 2011; they are a quick service version of the chain offered at locations such as airports, school campuses, military food courts and travel centers. The first standalone public location of the concept opened in downtown San Diego in 2011.

In 2019, IHOP announced plans to open a fast-casual restaurant, Flip'd by IHOP. Flip'd would include a menu serving pancake bowls, burgers, and fried chicken.

A franchisee opened a hybrid Applebee's/IHOP restaurant in downtown Detroit in mid-2018. In March 2024, Dine Brands announced it was exploring Applebee's-IHOP dual-branded restaurants within 12–24 months, following the successful introduction of prototypes in international markets.

Marketing

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/International_House_of_Pancakes_full_logo.jpg" caption="Logo used from 1994 to 2003"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/IHOP_Restaurant_logo.svg" caption="IHOP logo, used until 2015"] ::

In June 2015, IHOP introduced an updated logo, removing its decorative elements and adding a curved line under the "O" and "P" letters to resemble a smiley face. The company said that the previous logo looked too much like a frown.

In June 2018, an IHOP marketing campaign announced they would "flip" their name to "IHOb"; it was ultimately revealed to be a marketing campaign for its hamburgers, in an effort to address perceptions that IHOP was still primarily oriented towards breakfast food. The tease of the campaign led to speculation via social media regarding the intent of the change. IHOP parodied the campaign the following year to promote a new hamburger that includes a pancake as an ingredient, jokingly stating that they would refer to their burgers as "pancakes" because people wanted IHOP to "stick to pancakes".

In November 2025, IHOP leadership revealed plans to franchisees to offer Kids Eat Free in December. This was met with a response of revolt from franchise operators, due to the fact they were not consulted beforehand, there was no opt-out option, and the costs that they would inccur from the free food offer. Operators have expressed concerns that they would not be compensated fairly and the promotion was not a marketing decision, but a leadership decision.

Lawsuit

In early September 2010, IHOP filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles against International House of Prayer and six other defendants, alleging trademark dilution and infringement. The lawsuit was dropped on December 21, 2010, with the dispute resolved out of court.

References

References

  1. Goldstein, Alan. (August 5, 1986). "The IHOP : Chain Goes Flat Out to Prove That It Serves More Than Just Pancakes". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  2. (February 24, 2020). "Dine Brands Global, Inc". [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]].
  3. "Dine Brands Leadership Our Management Team". dinebrands.com.
  4. Joe Bramhall. "IHOP Corp.". [[D&B Hoovers.
  5. Dawson, Gloria. (June 3, 2019). "IHOP announces new brand president". [[Nation's Restaurant News]].
  6. (June 8, 2019). "Viva La Difference!".
  7. Winchell, Joan. (September 10, 1959). "Restaurant Biz Booms Like Push-Button Thunderstorm". [[Los Angeles Times]].
  8. (October 27, 1967). "From Our House to Your House: Good Eating". [[Life magazine]].
  9. Pirani, Fiza. (June 11, 2019). "Where did IHOP get its original name? Restaurant announces name change". [[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  10. Wiener-Bronner, Danielle. (December 11, 2019). "IHOP is opening a fast casual restaurant called 'Flip'd'". [[CNN]].
  11. (July 16, 2007). "IHOP to acquire Applebee's for $1.9 billion". [[NBC News]].
  12. Vries, Lloyd. (July 16, 2007). "IHOP To Buy Applebee's For $1.9B". [[CBS News]].
  13. Adamy, Janet. (October 31, 2007). "IHOP's Tall Order: Reviving Applebee's". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
  14. (November 29, 2007). "IHOP completes purchase of Applebee's". [[American City Business Journals.
  15. (March 28, 2008). "IHOP, Applebee's parent to be renamed DineEquity". [[Nations Restaurant News]].
  16. "Full Menu". IHOP.
  17. (June 3, 2019). "We see what you did there, IHOP®". [[WQAD-TV]].
  18. (May 24, 2016). "DineEquity Opens First IHOP Restaurant In Panama City". FSR Magazine.
  19. (September 10, 2019). "IHOP inauguró tres locales en Ecuador". [[Ecuavisa]].
  20. (December 16, 2019). "Dine Brands International Continues Global Expansion with First IHOP® Opening in Peru".
  21. Orlando, Dan. (October 26, 2017). "IHOP Express debuts at Dallas airport". [[Nation's Restaurant News]].
  22. (November 22, 2011). "Gaslamp gets an IHOP Express". [[The San Diego Union-Tribune]].
  23. Weisberg, Lori. (December 15, 2010). "IHOP makes its way to San Diego Naval Base". [[The San Diego Union-Tribune]].
  24. (December 21, 2016). "Love's, IHOP Express now open in Norfolk". [[Norfolk Daily News]].
  25. Lucas, Amelia. (2019-12-11). "IHOP introduces new restaurant, Flip'd by IHOP, with faster service and Pancake Bowls".
  26. Reindl, JC. (September 19, 2017). "Advance peek at world's first combo IHOP/Applebee's coming to Detroit". [[Detroit Free Press]].
  27. Reindl, JC. (June 8, 2018). "World's first IHOP/Applebee's combo about to open in downtown Detroit". [[Detroit Free Press]].
  28. "A combination Applebee's-IHOP? Parent company wants to bring dual-brand restaurants to the US".
  29. (2024-02-29). "Co-branded IHOP/Applebee's restaurants may come to the U.S. soon".
  30. Wilson, Mark. (June 3, 2015). "IHOP's New Logo Smiles At You! (Like A Deranged Clown)". [[Fast Company]].
  31. Hackett, Robert. (June 2, 2015). "Why IHOP Changed its Logo for the First Time in Decades". [[Fortune (magazine).
  32. Wohl, Jessica. (June 11, 2018). "That 'b' in 'IHOb' stands for a dish that IHOP already sold". [[Ad Age]].
  33. (June 6, 2018). "IHOP Says 'IHOb' — And The Internet Says, What?". National Public Radio.
  34. (June 6, 2018). "IHOP Becomes IHOb, The International House Of ... Burgers". National Public Radio.
  35. "IHOP is changing names and putting a pancake in the middle of a burger".
  36. (June 3, 2019). "Haters Wanted IHOP to Stick to Pancakes. So Now It's Just Calling Its Burgers 'Pancakes'".
  37. (2025-11-25). "IHOP Franchisees Revolt After Forced Kids Eat Free Mandate". [[Forbes]].
  38. (September 3, 2010). "Ihop IP, LLC v. International House of P... - 2:10-cv-06622 California Central District Court". PacerMonitor.
  39. Morran, Chris. (September 15, 2010). "IHOP Sues IHOP Over IHOP Trademark". [[Consumerist]].
  40. Kisliuk, Bill. (December 29, 2010). "Pancake versus prayer dropped". [[Los Angeles Times]], [[Glendale News-Press]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1958-establishments-in-californiacompanies-based-in-glendale,-californiacompanies-based-in-los-angelesfast-food-chains-of-the-united-statespancake-houseshamburger-restaurantsfast-food-franchisesrestaurants-established-in-1958restaurants-in-los-angeles1976-mergers-and-acquisitionscompanies-that-filed-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-in-1982