IHOP

We probably visit I hope every two weeks. We normally frequent the one located in Cary, NC since it is closer to where we live. We know that this location might be the exception to the rule. The Cary location is always perfect with their service, cleanliness, and hospitatlity. I expected a wait for a Saturday morning. Unfortunately, we waited 45 min after we sat down and still no food. It was around 11am, so there might have been a shift change. Regardless, I asked a waitress for an update on our food since I saw at least 3 other tables that sat after us, get their food, paid, and left. The waitress didn’t come back to update us. It looks like they scrambled to figure out that we were forgotten about and didn’t try to remedy it by updating us. Instead they assumed we would wait another 15 min to get our food. The manager offered to comp our meal, but that was only after we asked him if we could just pay for our drinks. He took another 5 minutes to try to figure out the situation. In the meantime, my 3 year old and 7 yr old were starving. We ended up getting biscuits from Chick-​Fil-​A. This was the worst service ever! Its not going to stop us from going to IHOP, but we will never visit this location again.

Typically we are fans of IHOP. However, this visit — to this particular IHOP — was not such a good one. I’ll make it simple:
Good things:
1. The server was very pleasant, courteous, and efficient
2. The manager did remove a meal — although we didn’t ask for it and didn’t let them know about the issues in order to get a discount, but to save someone else the experience
3. The Sirloin Tips breakfast — the tips were cooked very well and seasoned deliciously
4. We still love IHOP — just may not visit this one again anytime soon
Not so good:
1. The booths near us were dirty, and remained dirty (although cleared) while we were there — one of the reasons that we took a table instead of a preferred booth
2. One of the managers was very curt and rude to the servers
3. My husband used to work in a restaurant for quite a few years. He thought something tasted «off» with one of the meats in his omelet. He didn’t finish eating it — which is very unusual for him as he is quite the carnivore. When he told the manager that something tasted wrong with the meat in the omelet, and even told her which particular meat, she took it off our tab (NOT what he was telling her for) and kind of brushed it off. However, the next 1.5 days my husband had a mild case of food poisoning. Seemed he was correct about the pot roast «gone bad».
It wasn’t a horrible experience. That particular day was just not up to the standards that we are used to for an IHOP.

The hearty ham & cheese omelette I ordered was over cooked & dry, in which the eggs were brown. The waitress had my wife’s cheese omelette replaced for same reason when she brought us our order. But my omelette was not replaced & I couldn’t eat it. Somebody needs to replace the cook!

I usually don’t like going to ihop because it is usually slow service and busy at all get out. But this ihop is on a hill which you can’t really see it until you see the sign. The food and service at this ihop is pretty good which I wish all ihop’s were the same.

Love this place. The wait staff is always on point and the food is always delicious!