Try to imagine, for a moment, some of the most divisive events of the past five years in American history.
What springs to mind might be Donald Trump's impeachments, lockdowns across many states for months as the coronavirus pandemic swept through the nation, Nancy Pelosi and her husband buying millions of dollars of Apple (AAPL) -) and Microsoft (MSFT) -) stock options, or Mark Zuckerberg telling Joe Rogan about how the FBI interacted with Facebook during the 2020 presidential election.
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If you're less politically and more gastronomically inclined, however, one of the most controversial moments of recent American history might involve IHOP's decision to temporarily rebrand itself as IHOB, or the International House of Burgers.
The ill-fated and (mercifully) short-lived decision of 2018 set Twitter alight, dividing neighbors, friends, and family members nationwide.
"We knew we had a very tough job to do to convince people that we take our burgers as seriously as we take our pancakes," IHOP’s executive director of communications, Stephanie Peterson, said at the time. "So, we went bold with the campaign."
Now that things have been set right and IHOP is back to doing what it does best, the chain is looking to spice things up in a different way at the breakfast table.
It's not straying from the center of its expertise; far from it. In fact, it's leaning into some customer favorites, giving its menu a long-anticipated revamp and offering nationally what's caught on in southern regions of the country.
IHOP goes big with new menu
Beginning on Monday, IHOP breakfast biscuits will be available across the country, something many of its southern customers have enjoyed for a while now.
Some of the new offerings include:
- Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich
- Chicken Biscuit Sandwich
- Fresh Strawberries & Cream Biscuit
- Fresh Strawberries & Cream Biscuit Combo
- Buttermilk Biscuit & Gravy Combo
- Buttermilk Biscuit
"Introducing new Buttermilk Biscuits at IHOP (we love an introduction)," the chain tweeted, accompanied by a video of some of the sweet and savory offerings.
Introducing new Buttermilk Biscuits at IHOP (we love an introduction) pic.twitter.com/iYyUJUtPTa
— IHOP (@IHOP) August 28, 2023
Even better, the Breakfast Biscuit Sandwich, which features two fried eggs, two strips of hickory smoked bacon, American cheese, and cheese sauce will sell for just $7. It's served with your choice of two buttermilk pancakes, hash browns, or fruit. For $2 extra customers can add their choice of coffee or soda.
IHOP's parent, Dine Brands (DIN) -), has been working to revitalize sales in recent months. Q2 2023 financials show that IHOP's same-store sales increased just 2.1% year-over-year.
"The improvement was due to an increase in average check, offset by a decrease in traffic," the company's 10-Q showed.
Price increases are something restaurants carefully balance, and many try to tempt customers with new deals and promos to keep them coming in.
"We saw generally flat traffic throughout the year. A few new guests joined us and some of our guests dined a little bit less with us. But the big thing we saw was that our guests were navigating the menu and finding the value-oriented options on our menus," Dine Brands Chief Executive John Peyton told TheStreet in March.
