IHOP Changes Name To IHOb To Emphasize Burgers

Turns out, the IHOb name change is simply a stunt to promote its new burger menu, according to USA Today.

Don’t worry, breaky buffs: All the breakfast goodies remain on the menu. The pancake-less publicity stunt is meant to attract consumers who only think of IHOP (aka the International House of Pancakes) as a breakfast place, Chief Marketing Officer Brad Haley told the paper.

“The big opportunity for the IHOb brand is to develop our lunch and dinner business. Burgers are the most consumed entree item for men, women and children in America,” he said.

Although at least one IHOP location in Hollywood received new IHOb signs, IHOP president Darren Rebelez told CNNMoney the vast majority of the nearly 1,800 other locations will still go by IHOP.

Will the new (and temporary) name change boost IHOP, er, IHOb’s bottom line? Both experts and consumers are skeptical.

Brooklyn-based PR expert Eric Yaverbaum calls the name change “something of a head-scratcher” since IHOP is one of the strongest brands in the United States, and has spent decades dominating the breakfast diner sector, often without regional competition.

“While IHOP has the brand recognition to support this kind of creative renaming, you have to wonder whether IHOP saying ‘We’re about burgers now’ is really communicating something to its customer base that they’ll be happy to hear,” Yaverbaum told HuffPost.

Twitter users also didn’t think IHOP’s switch to burgers cut the mustard either.