IHOP No More

Today, Y and I decided to go to Palm Springs for breakfast at the IHOP on Indian Canyon. Originally, I wanted to get the pancakes with peaches and caramel sauce, but didn't see them offered anywhere in the store, so switched my order to the "senior special," which is 2 p'cakes, 2 bacon, and 2 eggs (scrambled in my case). Y ordered chicken fried steak, with fresh fruit instead of the potatoes. And, we both ordered coffee. Pretty much a run-of-the-mill b'fast, nothing fancy at all.

My meal was lukewarm, not hot, but the p'cakes arrived a bit later and they were smokin' hot -- really melted the butter. Y's meal was just fine, but by the time he had eaten his p'cakes, he was almost full, so he only ate half the chicken fried steak and brought the rest of it home for his afternoon snack.

When the bill came, I was astounded to find a total of $31.13. For 2 b'fasts, not a family of four. We were each charged for a cup of coffee, although the server filled a carafe at the table and whether one was drinking or two, the same amount of coffee was left for us to self-serve. My senior meal is supposed to be budget friendly, but it came in at $9.69, which is about $3 more than the last time I ordered it. Y's chicken fried steak was a whopping $13.29, which is also higher than the last time we ate the same b'fast at the same IHOP.

Needless to say, IHOP is now on my don't-go list. It's far too expensive for what is served, and the service isn't anything to sing songs about. There's always a reason that the meal comes late, or, in the case today, in two separate servings of egg dish first, then the p'cakes. For the price, I can find a dozen restaurants that do it better on all levels of dining -- and will the next time I get a hankering for p'cakes.