Exclusive: IHOP unveils meaning behind new name IHOb
International House of Pancakes President Darren Rebelez makes the announcement on 'Fox & Friends.'
It's "burgers," everybody.
In what must come as disappointing news for anyone hoping IHOP would start offering breakfast burritos or break-dancing classes, the restaurant chain announced Monday on Fox News that its much publicized name change to "IHOb" reflects the debut of its brand-new Ultimate Steakburgers.
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'We're always going to have pancakes on the menu, we're always going to be IHOP, but America loves burgers, and America loves IHOP, and we thought this was a fantastic combination to bring America’s burgers to an iconic brand like IHOP," said IHOP President Darren Rebelez during an appearance on "Fox & Friends."
Brad Haley, the chief marketing officer for “IHOb," added that changing the restaurant's name was the "best way to convince [customers] that we are as serious about our new line of Ultimate Steakburgers as we are about our pancakes," per a press release. "We’ve pancaked pancakes for 60 years now so it’s the perfect time to start burgerin’ burgers, and we’re kicking it off by flipping the ‘p’ in IHOP to a ‘b’ for burgers."
IHOP's new menu will include seven new varieties of steakburgers — to be available all day, everyday — including:
- Classic, with lettuce, tomato, onion and American cheese, as well as the brand's new "Steakburger sauce,"
- Classic with Bacon, with all of the above plus hickory-smoked bacon,
- Big Brunch, with bacon, a fried egg, a potato pancake and cheese,
- Cowboy BBQ, with bacon, onion rings and BBQ sauce
- Jalapeno Kick, with jalapeno mayonnaise, bacon, Pepper-Jack cheese and sauteed jalapeno peppers, serranos chiles and onions,
- Mushroom and Swiss, with sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, Swiss cheese and mayo,
- and the Mega Monster, with two steakburger patties, two slices of cheese (American and white cheddar) and pickles.
As for the restaurant’s name change, IHOP said its new moniker will be in effect for “the time being.” A representative for the brand also confirmed that only its flagship location, in Los Angeles, Calif., will be rebranded as an “IHOb” in honor of the launch. All other restaurants will feature IHOb-themed elements within, but retain their original signage, for at least the length of the "summer campaign."
IHOP's new offerings will include a Classic burger (with or without bacon), the Cowboy BBQ burger and the Big Brunch burger, among others. (IHOP)
News of the restaurant’s name change was originally announced June 4, though the company remained mum on what the “b” would stand for, or whether the change would be permanent.
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In the week since, Twitter users speculated that the restaurants might be changing its name to reflect new menus more focused on bacon, blueberries or brunch. By late last week, however, self-identified employees of the chain began revealing the burger-based news via online forums and social media platforms.
“I went to IHOP earlier and the waiter was like ‘it’s burgers,” wrote one Twitter user on Wednesday.
Another Reddit user, who claimed to be a manager, had also prematurely revealed the chain’s secret plans, adding that the burgers are “pretty good.”
IHOP's — or IHOb's — new burgers are are currently available with unlimited french fries and a drink starting from $6.99 at participating locations.
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