Since 1958, the International House of Pancakes, better known as IHOP, has been an American classic. Whether you’re Team IHOP or Team Denny’s, you can’t deny that IHOP is a breakfast legend. Go into an IHOP on any given day and you’ll see a melting pot of families, elderly people, drunk college students and even wedding parties (true story). Sure, it might not be the highest quality breakfast, but you’re dead wrong if you think I’m turning down a 2 a.m. IHOP run or a free short stack on International Pancake Day.
Now, IHOP has gone and ruined a perfectly good thing. Yesterday the company tweeted, “For 60 pancakin’ years, we’ve been IHOP. Now we’re flippin’ our name to IHOb. Find out what it could b on 6.11.18. #IHOb.” The tweet was accompanied by a short video showing the “P’ in their iconic logo turning upside down to form a “b.”
Passionate pancake fans are not OK with the major rebrand, so much so that they've voiced their concerns on Twitter. And since PPFs had the app open, they also tried to guess what the new acronym stands for.
IHOP’s Twitter has been quick to quell the Internet reaction, all while maintaining an air of mystery around the name change. The company has been reassuring upset fans with coy b-themed tweets and has even joined in on the guessing game.
International House of Barnacles is the new Red Lobster. You heard it here first.
For those who cannot wait until the June 11 reveal, we have some clues to what the “b” won’t stand for. IHOP account has already rejected popular guesses like “Bacon,” “Breakfast” and “Brunch.” Other rejects include “Buffalo Wings,” “Burritos,” “Bancakes” and “Balloons.”
It’s a bit baffling why such a popular chain would change its iconic name at the risk of brand confusion. Some people have even speculated that the tweet was just a PR stunt conducted to drum up attention and business. But in reply to a tweet begging IHOP to “Please tell me you’re joking,” the company tweeted, “oh blease, this is no joke!”
Regardless of the name change’s legitimacy or not, the company has generated a lot of buzz in the past 24 hours, which is always good from a marketing standpoint. I’m sure a lot of pancake fans will be eager to tune in to hear what the “b” stands for on June 11. Until then, the name remains a mystery.
Well there you have it, folks! IHOP is dead, say hello to IHOb.