IHOP

Even before stepping into IHOP, it’s pretty clear what to expect: plastic booths, hot coffee, pancakes, eggs, and smiling servers who call you darling or honey.

Customers who regular diners go for the family friendly atmosphere and homey, if not predictable menu. Though these are certainly parts of IHOP, limiting the diner to such a stereotype would be unfair. While maintaining all the tried and true aspects of an original diner, IHOP regularly updates their menu and atmosphere to create an enjoyable experience for customers of all ages.

IHOP has managed bring diners into the 21st century.

As you walk into the prison cell sized waiting room, you are immediately stopped by a wall of Saturday morning diners waiting to be seated. In order to reach the hostess’ table one must flatten themselves against the polka-dotted wallpaper and proceed to shuffle by like a spy in an old timey action film. Once you’re through the tangle of hungry children and exasperated parents, you find a smiling hostess with a long list of names. She writes down your name, estimates a waiting time, and sympathetically smiles as you trudge back to the prison cell with all the other pancake-cravers.

With nothing to do but wait, customers begin looking at the brightly colored posters displaying the newest, mouth watering additions to the menu. If you look hard enough, you’ll notice the smiley faces hidden in the wallpaper. Two small booths line either wall but are barely visible under the ten strangers who are now a little too well acquainted with one another. The quaint, overcrowded waiting room becomes increasingly warm as people pack into a penguin huddle to escape the numbing cold outside.

After waiting your allotted time, a waitress shows you to a much roomier table, with booths that can actually fit the whole family, and hands out plastic menus. There are few surprises in the main section: eggs, pancakes, french toast, bacon. All are staples to the American diner breakfast experience. The supplemental menu of limited edition and holiday themed items is where the dining staff clearly had some fun.

Crunchy funnel cake in a whimsical design straight out of Alice in Wonderland lays on a simple glass plate. The dough is subtly flavored, and surprisingly lacks the overbearing slap of oil and butter that typically characterizes fried foods. Warm hot chocolate is swirled with whipped cream and decorated with shiny, sugar sprinkles like little christmas balls frosting a pine tree. In years past, mint hot chocolate in the theme of the grinch, was completed with green whipped cream spiraling out of the cup.

No, they aren’t revolutionizing hot chocolate as we know it, but it's always fun to discover their latest twists on classics. Even the cheesiest of themes are sure to put a smile on any grinch’s face.

The pancake menu has also expanded in recent years, now including internationally inspired pancakes such as cannoli style, churro infused, and dulce de leche topped. Although I don’t recall the dulce de leche pancakes making a mariachi band chorus in my mind, the sweet toppings were delicious, and the pancakes in and of themselves were warm, fluffy, and delightful.

Other varieties like birthday cake and cinnamon roll pancakes combine dessert and breakfast into one heavenly meal. After eating half the stack, however, it may be time to consider taking the rest home in a box; the four chocolate pancakes complete with chocolate chips and whipped cream can become overwhelming in one sitting.

While the main menu is traditional in its choices, the food is not at all the greasy, heart attack inducing food many expect. The bacon is perfectly grilled between crunchy and moist so one satisfiedly swallows each bite without producing the sensation of either eating a tumbleweed or drowning in hot fat. The hash browns and toast similarly reflect thoughtful cooking and grilling. Only the eggs miss their mark; as soon as the yolk is broken, everything on the plate becomes soaked in a watery, yellow juice that is not conducive to toast-dipping.

Overall, the food pays tribute to conventional diner meals, but IHOP improves the quality and adds variety for the modern day diner to enjoy.

Yes, the food is more modern, but the service still has the homey vibe of a mid 20th century restaurant. The staff, many of whom either attend or have graduated from local high schools, take the time to introduce themselves and ask how classes are going if you wear a John Champe or Freedom shirt.

Even when they are clearly overwhelmed by the completely filled tables all around, they are polite and allow you the time to sit, talk, and enjoy your food. Members of the staff are observant and quickly answer requests for additional drinks or orders. At one point, we asked for ketchup, which was immediately brought out, but when the waiter later noticed the bottle seemed low, he brought out a fresh one, unprompted.

Today, when so many restaurants are training waiters to move customers in and out of the doors at warp speed, it’s refreshing to be treated as a person, not just another source of profit. Today, when many waiters are so obviously overworked and underpaid, it's nice to see that these staff members are laughing with customers and each other. Today, when so few people take the time to smile at strangers, it’s restoring to see not just waiters, but other diners, exchanging smiles and pleasantries.

This exceptional staff obviously adds to the welcoming atmosphere. Numerous windows fill the restaurant with light and red accented walls give off a quirky, fun vibe; this is a place where people can relax and have a good time.

When I say relax, I do not mean in peace and quiet. As a fair portion of the clientele includes families with young children, the noise level is a bit high. Perhaps some subtle background music would be nice, but then again, so many restaurants deafen their customers with Billboard Top 40 rap songs, it may be safer to leave the speakers untouched.

On any given day, IHOP lacks a defined atmosphere; however during holidays, the fun, light-hearted ambiance is more noticeable. The supplemental menus are suddenly themed, the miniature paper advertisements include a holiday story for kids, and every poster features the restaurant’s chosen character of the year, such as “Elf on the Shelf”. Although IHOP has not focused on maintaining a certain ambiance year-round, the holiday themes truly add to the general happy, homey vibe.

IHOP will probably never lose the label of a diner. It will never be a high end, fancy restaurant where couples dress in their finest attire, clasp on a diamond necklace, and drive a lamborghini to, but if it was, the best parts about the restaurant would be lost. The fact is, a diner is the kind of place we need. It’s somewhere that brings together family, friends, kids, and adults to bond over some delicious twists on classic meals, somewhere you can drink three milkshakes at midnight without judgement, somewhere you can wear your pajamas, forget about makeup and just enjoy your time.

Diners have been around for over fifty years, clearly there’s something to them.

IHOP

24290 Liberty Harvest Ct.

Sterling, VA 20166