That’s because, for the first time, IHOP offers its franchisees, who operate the majority of IHOP restaurants, the opportunity to include a company-designed alcohol menu.
A handful of IHOP franchisees already sell alcohol. But before that they had to select the menu and start new offerings.
In the company’s new menu: Bud Light, Blue Moon and Corona beers, as well as Barefoot Bubbly Bert, Barefoot Bubbly Chardonnay and Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon. Some locations may also have local deals. Hard liquor does not appear on the menu to prevent IHOP, a family restaurant, from feeling like a bar.
The company announced Thursday that two IHOP New Mexico locations will offer full dining options to those of drinking age beginning this week. Another San Diego will begin selling alcohol in September. About nine more restaurants will adopt Boozy. Menu in markets including New York, Rhode Island, Maryland and Ohio, possibly later this year, IHOP President Jay Johns told CNN Business.
IHOP hopes its initial list of restaurants is just the beginning.
If things go well, “we’ll hit the gas pedal and go really fast,” Johns said.
Persuasive Franchises
Johns said he doesn’t believe all locations sell alcohol. But “We want it to be as broad as possible,” he said. In the end, he thinks about 1,000 restaurants could serve the drink. There are approximately 1,750 IHOP restaurants in total.
But for the plan to work, IHOP needs to convince its franchise operators that adding an alcohol menu is worth the investment. Franchisees participating in the program must obtain a liquor license, train staff to charge customers, and familiarize themselves with new menu items. After a brutal period of declining sales amid a nationwide labor shortage, that could be a big ask. Sales at IHOP restaurants open at least a year were higher in the second quarter than in the same period last year, but were lower than in the second quarter of 2019.
Adding an alcohol menu, IHOP awaits. To attract customers who want to have a drink with a meal, especially after. IHOP has long been trying to generate interest in its breakfast menu. In 2018 it already briefly changed its brand to “IHOb” designed to draw attention to your burger.
Alcohol is clearly right in our strategy … offering more ways to enjoy yourself at dinner or lunch,” Johns said.
Cracker Barrel added alcohol to hundreds of its sites last year. The chain also said it is offering those who They were had lived Visiting a place that serves alcohol other than Cracker Barrel. Taco Bell, along with other chains, have added alcohol to the menu in recent years.
Right now, the release is in “test mode,” Johns said. The first three restaurants voluntarily adopted early hours. “They feel comfortable because their staff is fine. [that] They can run it,” he said.
The reasons for this are…
