Americans are divided on whether waffles or pancakes are the superior breakfast food.
Some people love them equally and can’t decide which to order on a Saturday morning when they’re faced with going to Waffle House or IHOP.
But let’s face it: You can’t get both at one restaurant, so you must pick one, which means choosing between Waffle House and IHOP! So which is better? Well, that depends…
Waffle House Overview
Waffle House is a restaurant chain that specializes in breakfast foods. The chain has over 2,100 locations across 25 states, and its headquarters are in Norcross, Georgia.
Waffle House restaurants operate 24 hours a day, every week except Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day when they close at 6 pm Eastern Time (5 pm Central).
Waffle House was founded by Joe Rogers Sr., Tom Forkner, and Richard DeShazo in 1955 when they opened their first location on West College Avenue in Avondale Estates near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with $10,000 worth of equipment purchased from another restaurant owner who went out of business after only six months of operation.
IHOP Overview
IHOP is a chain of family-style restaurants known for its pancakes, waffles, and omelets.
The chain’s breakfast menu includes pancakes (including the popular Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity), waffles, eggs, and other breakfast dishes like French toast or crepes.
IHOP was founded in 1958 as the International House of Pancakes by Al Lapin Jr., who opened his first location on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, CA.
He borrowed the name from an existing restaurant called The International House Of Pancake – but he added an extra “P” because he thought it sounded better when spoken aloud!
Comparison of breakfast menus at Waffle House and IHOP
After a brief overview, let’s break down the breakfast menus of each restaurant and see how they compare.
- Waffle House has fewer options than IHOP. For example, it serves only waffles and hash browns (plus eggs and bacon), whereas IHOP offers pancakes, French toast, omelets, egg dishes, and more.
- IHOP is known for its pancakes; Waffle House is famous for its signature dish: waffles! So if you want something sweet with your breakfast at either place, pancakes or waffles, you’ll have plenty of options at both restaurants.
Waffle House vs IHOP: Analyzing Breakfast Dishes
Waffle House has a wider variety of options. In addition, the chain serves breakfast all day, so you can get your favorite morning meal anytime.
You can order from the entire menu at Waffle House, including pancakes and waffles; eggs; breakfast sandwiches like bacon and egg sandwiches or sausage patties; and sides like hash browns or grits.
IHOP has more pancakes and waffles than any other food item.
But it also offers omelets, French toast sticks (similar to Eggo), a grits bowl with toppings like sausage links or cheese sauce (think macaroni & cheese), plus eggs benedict variations like Florentine (with spinach).
If you’re looking for something sweet after your meal instead of savory side dishes, then try one of their famous pancake stacks: Classic Buttermilk Pancakes topped with whipped cream & strawberries, or Bananas Foster Pancakes made with bananas sauteed in butter rum sauce served over two buttermilk pancakes drizzled in caramel syrup & whipped cream!
Waffle House vs IHOP: Ingredients Quality and the cooking techniques
Waffle House is known for using fresh ingredients, and its menu reflects that. The eggs are real eggs, not powdered or liquid substitutes.
The hash browns are made from real potatoes, not frozen patties of potato flakes.
And the waffles? Well, they’re waffles!
So what about IHOP?
Their quality control isn’t quite as strict; they use many processed foods such as powdered eggs instead of real ones (though they offer them), frozen hash browns instead of fresh potatoes…and so on. But hey, it’s still breakfast food!
In my opinion, though (and this is just me talking), both restaurants have good quality food despite minor differences in preparation methods or ingredients used by each restaurant chain.
Waffle House vs IHOP: Pricing
The basic breakfast dishes are the first to look at when comparing prices. Waffle House and IHOP offer hash browns, eggs, bacon, or sausage (or both).
The price for a basic waffle at Waffle House ranges from $5.89 to $9.59 depending on what type of topping you get with it, but most people tend to order the classic platter, which comes with two eggs cooked any way they like them, hash browns and toast for around $6-$7.
At IHOP, you can expect to pay between $6-$8 for a similar meal – slightly more than at Waffle House – but this does include coffee which normally costs extra at WH locations!
When comparing these two chains, it’s crucial to look at these prices and consider value for money: how much food do they serve compared with other restaurants?
On average, a WH usually serves much more than an IHOP, so if nothing else, consider this when deciding where best fits your needs!
Waffle House vs IHOP: Dining Experience
Waffle House is a 24-hour restaurant, while IHOP is not. However, both serve breakfast all day long and have drive-through windows.
Waffle House has a more casual atmosphere than IHOP does; you can expect to see jeans and T-shirts instead of suits at Waffle House.
However, if you’re looking for something more upscale or fancy (or perhaps just somewhere where your kids won’t act up), IHOP may be better suited for your needs!
Waffle House vs IHOP: Popularity and Reputation
While IHOP may have a more established brand and more locations than Waffle House, the latter restaurant is more popular than its competitor.
In a survey of over 1,000 people conducted by YouGov BrandIndex in 2018, Waffle House had an overall score of 62, while IHOP only scored 50, a difference of 12 points.
The study also showed that Waffle House scores higher familiarity and quality scores than IHOP.
However, IHOP slightly outperforms Waffle House’s trustworthiness (which could explain why many people believe that there are secret menus at both restaurants).
Waffle House vs IHOP: Which is Better for Breakfast?
Waffle House is better for breakfast. IHOP is better for lunch. Both are good for dinner, and both are also great late-night meals.
Comparing them on their core competencies reveals that Waffle House is the clear winner: it has more variety in its offerings and offers more bang for your buck (in terms of price).
Conclusion
What do we think now that I’ve compared Waffle House and IHOP?
The decision is up to you. Both restaurants have pros and cons, but Waffle House is the winner.
It has a more extensive menu with more variety, and better prices than IHOP does, and those pancakes aren’t even all that great!
Plus, if you go there on Sunday on any other time of day, there may not be many customers around (like at lunchtime).
Your wait time will probably be shorter than usual because they don’t have as many employees working at once compared to other restaurants like Subway or Chipotle, which depend on having enough staff members available at all times during business hours (even though this might cause some customers who want fast service).
