Burger King, Wendy’s and others are poking fun at IHOP’s name change—And it’s hilarious

Restaurant Chains Applebee's And IHOP To Close Over 100 Stores
Getty Images | Scott Olson

People love their pancakes!

So, when IHOP (International House of Pancake) first announced plans to change its name to IHOB (International House of Burgers), there were some pretty strong reactions and quite a bit of backlash.

Initially, the fact that IHOP was changing its name seemed like the worst re-branding decision ever, but on June 11, the company announced that the change would only be temporary.

And given the fact that it got everyone talking — it’s starting to seem more like a clever marketing ploy.

The company’s name change was meant to showcase the fact that IHOP cooks up much more than just pancakes.

“We are definitely going to be IHOP,” Darren Rebelez, president of the restaurant chain, told CNN after the big reveal. “But we want to convey that we are taking our burgers as seriously as our pancakes.”

And in case you were wondering — you can most definitely still order a stack of piping hot pancakes from the restaurant — but the name change may just entice you to give one of their burgers a try, instead. At least, that’s what IHOP — pardon me, IHOB — is banking on!

ihop restaurant photo
Flickr | JeepersMedia

With the news of the name change, other restaurants (who were perhaps a little jealous they didn’t think of this stunt first) couldn’t help but poke fun at the establishment for causing such a ruckus.

Wendy’s didn’t seem to be too threatened by the fact that IHOB is putting emphasis on its burgers:

“Not really afraid of the burgers from a place that decided pancakes were too hard,” the fast-food joint — and noted social media burn expert — tweeted. Ouch!

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A&W was inspired by IHOP’s name change and decided to make a change of its own: flipping its iconic logo upside down to something possibly resembling V&M:

Steak ‘n Shake took it upon itself to remind everyone it’s been in the burger business for a long time:

And while Whataburger considered a name change — it couldn’t commit:

Before the big reveal, banana titan Chiquita had a different idea of what the “B” should stand for:

Burger King joined in on the re-branding fun and changed its name to Pancake King on Twitter:

Even Netflix poked fun at IHOB:

“brb changing my name to Netflib,” the streaming service tweeted.

Seems like these brands found a way to get in on the action in the most hilarious way. Which response was your favorite?

Food, Humor & Funny, News
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About the Author
Augusta Statz
I have a B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’m an avid writer with a genuine sense of curiosity. I feel the best way to absorb the world around you is through fashion, art and food, so that’s what I spend most of my time writing about.

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