IHOP is hinting that a big change is coming -- with just the small flip of a letter.
The pancake chain, in a tweet Monday morning, suggested that it would change its name from "IHOP" to "IHOb" starting June 11.
That's right. It's not a typo, although the company has not disclosed the meaning of the new acronym.
“We’re serious about the quality of food and our menu, and this name change really reflects that,” says Stephanie Peterson, IHOP’s executive director of communications.
Founded in suburban Los Angeles by Al and Jerry Lapin in 1958, the International House of Pancakes shortened its name to IHOP in 1973, according to the company's website. Now, 45 years later, IHOP appears to be heading for another tweak.
The change comes in the middle of an important year for the restaurant. In late February, Dine Brands Global, the parent company of IHOP, decided to close 30 to 40 IHOP restaurants along with 60 to 80 Applebee’s restaurants in an effort to acquire and grow small chains that offer healthy and ethnic food. This move followed a trend from the year prior, in which Dine Brands Global shut down 23 IHOP restaurants.
People had mixed reactions to the tweet suggesting a name change was coming. Some guessed at what the acronym "IHOb" stood for, while others took the opportunity to complain.
The company will announce the likely name change on June 11.
