Free Pancakes

Free Pancakes at IHOP® Restaurants on National Pancake Day, Tuesday, March 4

Ninth Annual Fundraiser Expands to Include Canada and Puerto Rico with Similar Effort in Mexico with Goal of Raising $3 Million for Children’s Hospitals and Other Local Charities

GLENDALE, Calif., Jan 23, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Get ready. Get Set. And … go to IHOP® restaurants on National Pancake Day, March 4, to enjoy a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes — and help raise money for charity!

IHOP restaurants, offering “everything you love about breakfastSM,” will again serve up free short stacks of its famous buttermilk pancakes on National Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday, March 4, 2014, and after eight years of success, and over $13 million raised in the United States, the family-friendly restaurant chain will expand the program into Canada, Puerto Rico and offer a similar fundraising effort in Mexico for the first time. IHOP hopes to raise more than $3 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Shriners Hospitals for Children and other local charities this year.

More than 1,500 IHOP restaurants in the United States, including, for the first time, Canada and Puerto Rico, will be participating in the 15 hours of pancake delight on National Pancake Day, when millions of free pancakes will be served from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In exchange for the free short stacks, customers are encouraged to leave a voluntary donation in support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Shriners Hospitals for Children and other local charities. In Mexico, IHOP restaurants will offer a stack of two buttermilk pancakes for the radically reduced price of 29 pesos with that money being donated to Asociación Mexicana de Ayuda a Niños con Cáncer (AMANC) that provides accommodations and resources to children undergoing treatment for cancer and their families.

“Our guests, our franchisees, their team members, and all of us at IHOP look forward to National Pancake Day every year. Knowing that every free stack of buttermilk pancakes has the potential to improve the lives of the children in their own community makes serving them and eating them even more enjoyable than usual,” said Julia Stewart, Interim President, International House of Pancakes, LLC and CEO of the parent company, DineEquity, Inc. “I’m especially proud that what started as a grass roots effort in a few IHOP markets nine years ago has now grown into a significant and truly international event. This year, with the continued generosity of our guests across three countries, we will be able to support wonderful charities like Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Shriners Hospitals for Children and AMANC to save and improve the lives of many children in the communities we serve.”

Beginning February 1 through National Pancake Day on March 4, participating IHOP locations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico Customers who purchase a $5 Miracle Balloon will receive a $5 off coupon that can be used during their next dining visit.

For more information on National Pancake Day  www.ihoppancakeday.com.

ABOUT CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations — including all those made on IHOP National Pancake Day — 

ABOUT SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN

Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. Our 22 facilities, located in the United States, Canada and Mexico, provide advanced care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Learn more at  www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org .

ABOUT AMANC (Mexican Association to Help Children with Cancer)

Since 1982, AMANC complements the medical care hospitals provide to children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer and their families. This support helps them adhere to their treatment. The AMANC-Mexico City Center provides private lodging, nutritious meals, transportation, drug bank, prosthesis, psychological assistance, school programs, special support during the recuperation period of bone-marrow transplants, all kinds of recreational activities, and development workshops, so that patients and families don’t give up on their treatment due to long distances and other economic, psychological or other outside factors, allowing these children and their families to recover physically and emotionally while being away from their home during treatment days, and also helping them acquire the necessary skills for a better life once hospital days are over. There are 25 Chapters in 23 Mexican states, all aiming to offer the same services to children and their families suffering from cancer.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES, LLC

For over 55 years, International House of Pancakes, LLC has been a leader and expert in all things breakfast and a leader in family dining. The chain is highly competitive in its menu offering, serving 65 different signature, made-to-order breakfast options as well as a range of meals under 600 calories.  As of September 2013, there were 1,602 IHOP restaurants in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, the Philippines and the U.S. Virgin Islands. www.IHOP.com . Follow IHOP on Facebook and Twitter.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Pancake Day is a tradition that dates back several centuries to when the English prepared for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products … hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.

SOURCE: International House of Pancakes, LLC 310-376-6600Terry Wills, twills@willscom.com Angela Ibarra,aibarra@willscom.com orIHOPCraig Hoffman, 818-637-3603Craig.Hoffman@dineequity.com