'What's next ... Dunkin Tacos?' IHOP's name change draws major backlash
“IHOPE it works.”
“This just isn’t right … the universe has officially shifted!”
Goodbye pancakes, hello burgers? The International House of Pancakes has flipped the “P” and changed its name to the “International House of Burgers.” Yes, friends, IHOP is now IHOb … at least for now.
Dear Internet, we abbreciate your batience. Now let’s see who guessed right. B-hold!!!!! #IHOb pic.twitter.com/Fh3SkZ7s3Y
— IHOb (@IHOb) June 11, 2018
The switch has been skewered by competitors, and many Yahoo commenters are also incredulous. “Burgers,” one said. “What’s next… Dunkin Tacos?” “Sometimes change is not always good & original is best,” wrote a critic. “I love IHOP pancakes,” lamented another pundit. “I can get a [burger] anywhere.”
One competitor in the burger biz responded with a little shade.
Not really afraid of the burgers from a place that decided pancakes were too hard.
— Wendy's (@Wendys) June 11, 2018
Rumors of the IHOP pancake’s demise, however, have been greatly exaggerated.
“We are definitely going to be IHOP,” said the company’s president, Darren Rebelez. “But we want to convey that we are taking our burgers as seriously as our pancakes.”
: Grandpa, do you remember the Great Burger Wars?
: lol no I was chillin drinkin milkshakes and trying to make sense of Westworld— Denny's (@DennysDiner) June 11, 2018
Some commenters are open to the change and willing to give the restaurant a chance. “I worked at IHOP while I was in college,” wrote one supporter. “Good company. They treated us well.”
“IHOPE it works,” wrote another.
IHOb’s here for the summer, but it may last longer if the fans are hungry for more.
“Right now, there is not a defined time for how long we’ll use the IHOb name,” Stephanie Peterson, the head PR for IHOP, told Mashable. “But it is tied to the launch; we’re supporting the launch by flipping our Twitter handle and creating a fully re-burgered IHOb flagship restaurant in Hollywood, California. All restaurants will have touches of the branding for the duration of the summer campaign. Based on fan demand, there’s the chance we may create more IHOb restaurants in the future.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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