Skip the coffee, IHOP is serving mimosas with those buttermilk pancakes

Whether it is a Sunday brunch or maybe breakfast for dinner, IHOP and its bountiful food menu  always satisfy. While many people enjoy a cup of coffee with those iconic buttermilk pancakes, there is another beverage option on the table. Now, select locations are serving mimosas, wine and more. Cheers to those menu additions.

The rise of breakfast for dinner or the every expanding brunch hour is a food trend that many people have embraced. The idea that only certain foods can be enjoyed at certain times of the day is an old school notion that has grown stale. From the pancakes for dinner to the steak for breakfast, food rules are made to be broken.

At IHOP, the restaurant brand has been pushing the food conversation in many directions. From adding a bacon centric menu to capitalizing on the love of milkshakes, that International House of Pancakes appreciates that it can expand its menu without losing sight of what makes people come back time and again.

Why did IHOP add mimosas and other alcoholic beverages to the menu?

According to Jay Johns, President, IHOP, a recent brand survey showed that guests want more beverage options on the menu. Johns said, that a recent survey revealed that it “is the perfect time to launch our alcohol beverage menu and gauge excitement about these new offerings, as 66% of our recent guests and 58% of our younger guests (ages 21-34) have been craving an alcoholic beverage to accompany some of their IHOP favorites.”

While this menu expansion is limited to “three select IHOP restaurants in San Diego and New Mexico,” additional locations are set to be added. The brand hopes to learn from this soft launch and see how this alcoholic beverage menu can adapt to more locations.

For the initial launch, IHOP and its culinary team made a few food and beverage pairing suggestions. While everyone is encouraged to explore their own culinary adventure, these ideas could be a good starting point.

One example is pairing a Barefoot Bubbly Brut mimosa with IHOP’s Original French Toast. While the French Toast is rich, the bright, fruit forward beverage can help to balance that hearty bite.

Other options include pairing Southwest Chicken Bowls with a chardonnay, Steak Tips with a Cabernet Sauvignon and even a spicy omelet with an iced cold Corona.

As IHOP gauges the response to the Bubbles, Wine & Brews’ menu, it will be interesting to see guests’ reactions. If this launch is successful, it might start a bigger restaurant trend. Maybe it is time to enjoy a beer with that Big Mac.

What do you think of this concept? Is it the new beverage menu that you’ve been thirsting for?