The new Bold BBQ Pulled Pork Stuffed ‘N Stacked Omelette can go from breakfast to late night. | Photos courtesy of IHOP
Over the last couple of years, IHOP’s R&D attention has been on pancakes. Now it’s the omelette’s turn.
“Our omelette is very unique compared to everybody else’s out there,” said Arthur Carl II, VP of culinary for the Pasadena, California-based chain. [IHOP even spells it differently.] “Many omelettes are just folded over with ingredients inside while ours is rolled, stuffed and stacked inside and out.”
Launching Monday is the new limited-time Bold BBQ Pulled Pork Stuffed ‘N Stacked Omelette made with braised pork, barbecue sauce, onions, green peppers, and jack and cheddar cheeses. The eggs themselves are mixed with a little pancake batter for a unique IHOP touch.
“The stuffed and stacked format or naming convention is a newer one for us and it’s also been used with some of our pancakes and French toast,” said Carl. The Bold BBQ Pulled Pork Stuffed ‘N Stacked Omelette definitely stands up to that; it comes with three pancakes and is a hearty enough dish to go from breakfast to lunch, dinner and late night, he added. “More than 70% of our guests order a breakfast food even if they come in later in the day,” he said.
IHOP has increased guest research and accelerated menu innovation in the last few years to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive segment. Breakfast concepts like First Watch, Another Broken Egg, Keke’s Breakfast Café and Toasted Yolk are all in growth mode. “We definitely need to make sure that we have flavor profiles and menu items guests want so we not only can compete, but surpass the competition around us,” said Carl.
Which is why IHOP decided it was also time to upgrade its coffee program. Guest comments indicated that their coffee palate has evolved over the years, but the 1,700-plus family-dining chain hadn’t changed its coffee in a long time.
“We did a lot of research to understand the bean, understand the roasts, understand the actual flavor profiles, and then we did a ton of consumer research,” said Carl. “Then we tested the coffee in our restaurants to see what the guests thought.”
The result is the introduction of a new high quality medium roast to brew IHOP’s hot coffee, which is the best-selling beverage at the chain. “The flavor is nutty with a little bit of brown sugar and the coffee is 100% sustainable,” said Carl. “It’s not an overly robust coffee that’s going to punch you in the face, and it’s not a weak coffee that washes away when you add lots of cream and sugar, because that’s what our guest does. So it’s right there at what we believe is the sweet spot.”
In sync with the launch, for every pound of coffee sold, IHOP will donate a portion of sales to Feeding America.
IHOP’s new iced coffee lineup.
Next up: cold coffee. Cold brew is very popular now in coffee cafes and IHOP has offered it in the past, but recent customer research revealed its diners are more into iced coffee. “They’re not going for that really high-octane cold brew,” said Carl. “They’re looking for something more in the medium roast area.”
To meet its coffee drinkers where they are, the restaurants are debuting a new iced coffee lineup. The flavor holds up well to milk or cream and sugar, just what guests want.
The last rollout Monday is the addition of a BLT to IHOP’s $6 Everyday Value Menu. The core value menu has been out about a year-and-a-half and focuses on four breakfast items: a Ham & Cheese Omelette, Breakfast Faves Combo, French Toast Breakfast and House Scramble. All are offered every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“It’s worked to build traffic, but what we didn’t do is bring in lunch or dinner,” said Carl. “The BLT is one of those sandwiches with a tried-and-true flavor profile, and our hickory-smoked bacon is going to speak for itself in there. A BLT now introduces another daypart.”
All the new items will be available at both traditional IHOP restaurants and dual-branded Applebee’s-IHOP locations.
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