National Pancake Day At IHOP Raises Funds For Charity

National Pancake Day is celebrated by pancake fans all over the country, and a number of restaurants and cafés organize promotional events on this day, but what we usually associate with it is IHOP. For the last decade, every National Pancake Day was a big day at IHOP – every visitor (with some limitations) was entitled to free pancakes while being strongly encouraged to give money to charity.

Since the first celebration in 2006, IHOP managed to raise more than $16 million for charities in local communities, and this year they plan to get more than $3.5 million in donations, the Inquisitr reports.

“IHOP also goes on to explain that their pancake giveaway isn’t merely a good gesture to help their patrons pack on the pounds, but instead represents a way for them to bring a focus to giving to charities in their community, or to leave a donation for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, if they so choose.”

Of course, it also serves as excellent publicity, as each March IHOP becomes the topic of the week with their free pancakes – and it seems that the chain is doing pretty good. Last week, IHOP reported 6.1 percent growth in sales during the fourth quarter, which is their strongest result in more than a decade. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, the chain confidently looks into the future and passes through a period of massive renovations, redesign, and alterations right now.

“Last year, IHOP redesigned its menu to make it simpler and easier to navigate. That work will continue this year, with menu rollouts that will include food innovation and line extensions, as well as another rework of the menu design that will include fresh graphics.”

In addition to that, IHOP tests out the new design of its restaurants in 28 locations in different parts of the United States. This new design aims to refresh the image of the chain while retaining a lot of its characteristic features so that long-term loyal customers would feel themselves right at home.

If the new design makes a favorable impression on the public, by the end of the year IHOP will renovate most of its franchises throughout the country – 1,579, to be precise. So there is a very good possibility that the next year’s National Pancake Day will see a completely new and improved IHOP image.