GLENDALE Calif. IHOP, the 1,302-unit chain, based here, saw first-quarter same-store sales rise 5.1 percent this year, due in part to its All You Can Eat Pancakes promotion, which ran from Jan. 2 to Feb. 18. Overall, IHOP has been increasing its customer traffic, and the promotion "has been part of that success without a doubt," said Patrick Lenow, IHOP's director of communications.
Most customers who participate in the promotion order more than pancakes, he said, and often choose to order higher-priced combo meals. Menu handouts list the available combo choices.
This is the third year IHOP has run the promotion, and the second year that it has offered a companion promotion on National Pancake Day, when it gives away short stacks of its signature buttermilk pancakes and raises funds for charity. Lenow said IHOP believes it can make that promotion an annual tradition, but it doesn't want to go overboard with pancakes as a promotional focus.
"We don't want to dilute the value of our signature item," he said.
