COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two locations of the International House of Pancakes, or IHOP, in the Midlands have been closed for good, as have at least five other restaurants throughout South Carolina.
Florida-based CFRA Holdings, an IHOP franchisee, operates 49 IHOP restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The company filed bankruptcy on May 6, citing losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic as the main issue.
Reports of sudden closures of IHOP locations began shortly after the bankruptcy filing. In the Midlands, the IHOP at 1031 Assembly St. in Columbia and at 5571 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington have closed.
Other South Carolina IHOP locations affected include those in Orangeburg, Sumter, Aiken, North Augusta, and Greenwood.
According to a report in FSR Magazine, “all employees were paid and laid off prior to the bankruptcy filing.”
IHOP has nearly 1,700 restaurants across the globe. Attempts to reach a representative at the California-based IHOP corporate offices were unsuccessful.
If you still crave a short stack, don't worry, the IHOP locations at 813 St Andrews Road and 7719 Two Notch Road in Columbia remain open.
