IHOP to the Grocery Store

IHOP is the latest foodservice operator to try its luck in grocery stores. The restaurant chain announced a new line of premium frozen breakfast items under the "IHOP at Home" brand.

The new line, which includes Omelet Crispers, French Toast Stuffed Pastries and a Griddle 'n Sausage wrap, will initially be sold in over 3,000 Walmart locations in the U.S. with plans to expand to other retailers.

According to an IHOP press release, nearly 84 percent of breakfasts in the U.S. originate in the home. The company is looking to extend its reach to consumers who are not visiting their restaurants in the morning. There are currently over 1,500 IHOPs operating in the U.S., Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"The driving force here is increased distribution. If I can get it to you on the shelves, I don't have to get you to drive to my restaurant to try me," Harry Balzer, chief food industry analyst with the NPD Group, told the Los Angeles Times.

"There are 115 million households in this country, and all of them are going to visit a grocery store or a supermarket this week," Mr. Balzer said.

Video courtesy of IHOP

"The bottom line is, we are pretty good at breakfast, and we feel we ought to be offering more folks quality IHOP breakfasts more of the time," Jean Birch, president of IHOP, told the Times.

Golden County Foods, a manufacturer of private label foods for retail and foodservice, will distribute the IHOP at Home line, according to the South Florida Business Journal.

The new brand is offering a $1 coupon download on the IHOP at Home website (www.ihopathome.com) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/ihopathome).

• IHOP Raises the Breakfast Bar with New 'IHOP at Home' Retail Line - IHOP
• IHOP expanding to Wal-Mart - Los Angeles Times/Glendale News Press
• IHOP Enters Retail Sales - South Florida Business Journal