IHOP Just Changed Its Coffee After 20 Years — Is It Any Good?
I hit up a random IHOP restaurant to give it a try.
Image Courtesy of IHOP
If there’s one thing IHOP is known for, it’s pancakes — for obvious reasons. But any breakfast-focused American restaurant, whether its reputation is built on flapjacks, frittatas or eggs benedict, also needs to deliver on one extra, essential item: coffee.
I live in an area that’s squarely in the center of diner culture, and I’ve had my fair share of diner coffee (which I generally enjoy for its reliable, inoffensive flavor). Years ago, I also used to live blocks from an IHOP and visited probably once every one or two weeks for an omelet or BLT. But while I have been a frequent diner and drinker of IHOP coffee in the past, I couldn’t tell you what it tasted like other than “decent coffee.”
So, when the chain announced this week that it had revamped its hot coffee, served by the carafe, for the first time in 20 years, my interest was piqued.
Why did IHOP change its coffee?
“Coffee is our number-one selling beverage and for the first time in 20 years, we took a hard look at our entire coffee program,” Chef Art Carl, VP Culinary at IHOP tells Food Network. “We realized we had an opportunity to make it more flavorful, modern, and competitive.”
In other words, the old coffee was weak.
“Our previous roast was light to medium with Arabica beans,” Carl says. “Based on guest feedback, the flavor didn’t stand up to the inclusions of creamer & sweetener, which around 80% of our guests like to add.”
What is IHOP’s new coffee like?
IHOP’s announcement claims its new coffee “delivers the perfect balance of a roasted nutty aroma, warm brown‑sugar flavor, and a slightly sweet finish.”
It’s made from “100% sustainably sourced Arabica medium roast coffee beans from farms committed to environmental conservation,” meaning the suppliers’ farming and labor practices are audited by a third party.
Also, a portion of the proceeds from orders of IHOP’s new coffee will be donated to Feeding America. IHOP gathered feedback during its testing process and found that both charity and sustainability were important factors to guests.
So, what about this guest? I set out to taste the new coffee for myself.
Adam Campbell-Schmitt
My honest review of IHOP’s new coffee:
I hit a random IHOP location near me for breakfast and ordered some coffee along with my meal. Right away, I noticed it was bolder and more flavorful than any coffee I could remember from IHOP. While those tasting notes didn’t knock my socks off, I would definitely describe it as nutty and caramel-like. And, in what I would assume IHOP would count as a win, now when I think of settling into one of their booths for breakfast, my recollection has officially shifted from “the coffee is fine” to “the coffee is good.”
According to an IHOP representative, the new coffee roast rolled out nationwide this week — which, apparently, is not as simple a task as it may sound.
“IHOP is built on consistency, and coffee is no exception,” Chef Carl explained. “We use a standardized blend, grind, and brew profile across all restaurants, combined with rigorous training for our teams to ensure every pot meets our quality standards. Prior to introducing our new roast, we developed training materials for the restaurants to focus on proper calibration of our brewers when it comes to brewing temperatures, proper brewing amounts and water filtration.”
What other menu changes are coming to IHOP?
Hot coffee isn’t the only update to the beverage menu — IHOP updated its iced coffee offerings as well. And elsewhere on the menu, customers can find more additions and upgrades, including a limited-time Bold BBQ Pulled Pork Stuffed and Stacked Omelette, plus my old standby, the BLT, which is now on the fifth item on the $6 Value Menu, available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Both would probably pair well with a carafe of coffee.
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