IHOP

Did You Know?

• Some IHOP locations feature coffee bars where guests can order espresso drinks.
• In September 2010, IHOP filed a trademark dilution and infringement lawsuit against International House of Prayer; the lawsuit was dropped in December 2010 with an out-of-court resolution.
• IHOP's menu includes pancakes, waffles, French toast, omelettes, sandwiches, burgers, and salads.

History

Brothers Jerry and Al Lapin, along with commercial artist Albert Kallis, co-founded International House of Pancakes in the Los Angeles area in 1958 with help from Sherwood Rosenberg and William Kaye. Kallis and his wife Trudy were early investors, and Trudy reportedly came up with the name after giving birth. The first restaurant opened on July 7, 1958, at 4301 W. Riverside Drive in Burbank, California. The second and third locations, in Panorama City and Baldwin Hills, remain open.

The original prototype design featured a steep-roofed A-frame building with a blue roof; the last such location was built in 1979. In 1973, the chain shortened its name to IHOP for marketing, using a cartoon kangaroo in commercials. In 1976, International Industries was renamed IHOP, Inc., and IHOP Corporation was formed as a holding firm for IHOP, Love's Wood Pit Barbecue, and Original House of Pies. Wienerwald Holding purchased IHOP in 1979, but after declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1982, sold IHOP Corp in 1983 to SVIDO.

The breakfast menu expanded in the 1980s to include lunch and dinner items. In December 2019, IHOP announced plans to launch Flip'd, a fast casual breakfast chain. On July 16, 2007, IHOP Corporation announced it would acquire Applebee's for about $2.1 billion, intending to franchise most of Applebee's company-owned facilities.

Locations

IHOP has 1,841 locations in the Americas, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Franchising agreements with M.H. Alshaya led to an agreement to open up to forty locations in the Middle East starting in 2012; by the end of 2018, IHOP operated in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon. In 2016, IHOP expanded into Panama, and in 2019 into South America with three locations in Ecuador and one in Peru. In June 2026, IHOP announced its first location in El Salvador, in Santa Tecla.

IHOP Express, a quick service version, opened its first location in 2011, with a standalone public location in downtown San Diego that same year. In 2019, IHOP announced Flip'd by IHOP, a fast-casual concept 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 dual-branded Applebee's-IHOP restaurants within 12–24 months.

Marketing

In June 2015, IHOP introduced an updated logo that removed decorative elements and added a curved line under the O and P to resemble a smiley face, as the previous logo was seen as resembling a frown. In June 2018, IHOP ran a campaign announcing it would flip its name to IHOb, which was later revealed to be a promotion for its hamburgers, aiming to change perceptions that the chain was primarily breakfast-oriented. The tease generated social media speculation.

The following year, IHOP parodied the campaign to promote a hamburger containing a pancake, jokingly stating it would call its burgers 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, which prompted revolt from operators who were not consulted, had no opt-out option, and faced costs from the free food; they expressed concerns about compensation and called it a leadership decision rather than a marketing decision.