IHOP set to open doors to pancake heaven

The International House of Pancakes will soon start serving its all-day breakfast on Saipan giving local residents and tourists more choices for grub in the ever-growing restaurant industry on the island.

They are set to open soon with management making sure everything is in order before they start serving their world famous pancakes.

IHOP’s entry may be considered pancake heaven for some of those who love munching the flat and fluffy round cakes topped with strawberries, blueberries, or bananas and whipped cream.

They had a test run yesterday where selected individuals and groups of people were invited to sample the menu that made them a household name for more than five decades now. “We want to see how our staff works before the actual opening,” said general manager Michael T. Valencia.

Rep. Ed Propst (Ind-Saipan) and his family, Public School System Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan, and former Commonwealth Utilities Corp. public information officer Brad Ruszala and his family were among the lucky individuals that got the invite.

Valencia said the DineEquity Inc.-owned restaurant franchise is more than just your regular breakfast place as they also have other food items on their menu. “We also have burgers and other sandwiches, chicken, steak, pasta, and seafood.”

“We also have salads for those who are on a diet and weight watchers,” added Valencia. “But of course our main item on our all-day breakfast menu are pancakes, crepes, omelets, and French toast.”

Original buttermilk, strawberry banana, blueberry, and New York cheesecake are some of the pancake flavors that you could order and partner it with either strips of bacon, sausages or hash brown for a combo.

“Although there were some minor mistakes, like mix up in some of the orders, overall it was good feedback especially to some of the local dignitaries that we invited. They were overwhelmed with the customer service they experienced and received,” said Valencia.

“It was great to hear that from all the people who attended since we made a huge gamble in hiring young and inexperienced staff. So far our gamble has paid off since they are friendly and they remember what they learned from their training,” he added.

Several support staff from Guam and the Philippines were also here to provide backup and they would return to their respective branches once the Saipan location normalizes.

“We are also targeting those early joggers to eat breakfast here after they run since we open at 7am. And of course, families and friends since we give you the coziness of your home. Prices are also reasonable and worth it since we offer big servings.”