IHOP Flips National Pancake Day on Its Head
For more than 15 years, IHOP has celebrated National Pancake Day®, a one-day, in-restaurant event where guests can enjoy a free Short Stack of IHOP’s signature buttermilk pancakes, while also supporting the brand’s national and local charity partners. Despite an unwavering love of pancaking together under IHOP’s iconic blue roof, the safety of guests and team members remains IHOP’s top priority. With that in mind, IHOP today announced the brand is cancelling its annual one-day celebration – and flipping it into a month-long event, issuing an IOU for a free Short Stack to be redeemed throughout the month of April.
To qualify for the offer, IHOP is giving its nearly 9 million existing MyHOP email club members – and those who register for MyHOP by March 31, 2021 – an IOU coupon good for a free Short Stack of buttermilk pancakes starting on April 1, 2021. That coupon can be redeemed throughout the month of April in-restaurant or to-go via IHOP.com or the IHOP Mobile App. Anyone who is not a MyHOP member can still get a free Short Stack during this time with a minimum $10 purchase in restaurants or to-go by downloading a coupon via IHOP.com or the IHOP app.
“At IHOP, our top priority is the safety of our guests and team members,” said Jay Johns, President at IHOP. “Given nothing about this past year has been ordinary – and while we look forward to celebrating National Pancake Day with guests under our blue roof in the future – we recognize it’s not possible to gather millions of our closest family and friends in our restaurants on a single day this year. As a result, we decided to flip National Pancake Day on its head and give our guests an entire month to redeem their free Short Stack with an IOU, while also continuing to put purpose behind our pancakes by giving back to those most in need: our charity partners.”
National Pancake Day has always been a moment to put purpose behind the pancakes and give back to children in communities across the country. Throughout April, IHOP is encouraging guests to make an on-check, in-restaurant or online donation for as little as $1 to support our national charity partner, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and other local charities.
“For the past 16 years, funds raised during IHOP’s National Pancake Day have helped local children’s hospitals treat millions of kids and their families,” said Teri Nestel, president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “We are grateful to IHOP’s customers and franchisees for confronting the many challenges of 2020 and adopting a month-long fundraising campaign to help us continue to change kids’ health, and change the future – for all of us.”
More than 32 million patients visit one of the 170 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in North America each year. Donations raised as part of IHOP’s National Pancake Day celebration will help provide families with everything from critical care to essential items. Over the past 15 years, IHOP guests have raised over $30 million for various children’s hospitals throughout the country. For more information on how to donate, please visit ihoppancakeday.com.