As you know, IHOP has been open awhile, but their official grand opening is today. A friend snapped this shot of a dancing pancake at 14th and Irving a minute ago.
WHAT: IHOP will open its 1,500th restaurant with a series of activities planned to commemorate the milestone:
· The first 1,500 guests will be treated to (or receive a certificate for) a free short stack of IHOP’s famous buttermilk pancakes.
· Notable D.C. pastry chefs (Leslie Goldman-Poyourow of Fancy Cakes by Leslie and Randi Goldman of Creative Cakes, Inc.) will create an iconic replica of one of Washington’s most famous monuments using thousands of pancakes with the help of students from the culinary program at Bell Multicultural High School.
· Ribbon cutting ceremony will take place featuring notable D.C. dignitaries and IHOP VIPs
· Live entertainment (magician, clown, stilt walker, etc.) will entertain the crowds
· A contribution will be made to the Multicultural Career Intern Program (MCIP), the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports Bell Multicultural High School
WHY: IHOP is celebrating its leadership in sales and restaurant openings in the family dining category, has plans for additional growth, and wants to thank the community of Columbia Heights for its support.
Amusingly, Mayor Fenty will be there with Jim Graham and Kwame Brown, but no Vince Gray. The IHOP CEO and president will be there too, plus the Jackson family, owners of this IHOP, who I wrote about before. Included in their ownership group is Tyoka Jackson, a former NFL player, his dad Clarence, who worked for the library and is in the DC National Guard, and his brother, who is an MPD officer. Here’s what’s going on:
6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Guests allowed to line up for free flapjack certificates
6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pancake monument sculpting by notable pastry artists
9:00 a.m. Ribbon cutting with dignitaries
7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Live entertainment for guests (Stilt walker, Clown, Magician)
I wonder why it’s flapjack certificates, but pancake monument? Are they different things?
