It was June 11, 2018. It began as a peaceful day, nothing out of the ordinary. Then it happened. First, it plagued social media, Twitter was hit the hardest – the memes and rants echoed through the night. Then it seemed every news channel was covering this insanity, at times it felt as if the world was upside down. This, of course, was the day that the International House of Pancakes changed their name to the International House of… Burgers. IHOP was out and IHOb was in.
However, if you make a trip to your local 24-hour breakfast joint today, you won’t see any mention of IHOb. No sign changes, no new logos, only a few pages in the back of the menu promoting their “Ultimate Steakburgers”. So what happened? It’s been just a little over 6 months after the announcement that broke the internet, so here’s a look at what really went down and how the International House of whatever you want to call it is doing today.
Faking it
Just a few weeks after the big name change, the company once again flipped the ‘b’ for burgers back into the IHOP we all recognize. Taking it to social media by tweeting, “We’d never turn our back on pancakes (except for that time we faked it to promote our new burgers)”
Darren Rebelez, president of IHOP sat down for an interview with CNNMoney saying, “We knew if we were going to really get into the burger business in a meaningful way that we were going to have to do something bold and creative,”
And it worked. The name change was number two trending topic globally on Twitter, just behind the North Korea summit, and accordingly garnered 32.3 billion earned media impressions and 20,000 news articles.
Here’s the deal
I have to be honest, whenever the first announcement reached my timelines on social media, I was just as confused as everyone else. The only thing I ever wanted at IHOP was cheap coffee, crispy hash-browns, and of course, pancakes. Never would I think of ordering a burger from a 24 hour breakfast place.
However, aside for the ‘b’ for burgers, there was a whole other risk at hand, ‘b’ for backlash. And from the rants to the memes on every corner of the internet, IHOP received plenty of it. Yet, in the aftermath of this huge gamble/PR stunt/promotion, IHOP totally gained my loyalty simply because of how much the company put on the line just to boost their new burger line.
Now what?
While IHOb may not be the number two trending topic on twitter anymore, since June, IHOP’s burger sales quadrupled and with it came a significant increase in lunch and dinner guests. But if you’re still in the mood for that classic all-American breakfast, the International House of Pancakes is going into the new year with all you can eat pancakes for just $4.99. And if you want to try something a little more out there on your next breakfast run, check out these 9 IHOP secret menu items that you didn’t know you needed in your life until now.
So whether it’s IHOb or IHOP, this 24-hour joint still remains a go-to favorite for countless Americans coast to coast. The dramatic name change may not have had many tangible long-term effects, but a look back at this giant stunt pulled by an even bigger company speaks wonders for our never-ending love for breakfast food. So whether it’s Sunday morning or in the middle of the night, remember that the International House of Pancakes is serving up classic dishes to satisfy every craving.