IHOP Upgraded Its Classic Coffee After 20 Years (And It's Long Overdue)

Being able to change and adapt to customer demands is essential for any business. Unfortunately, IHOP apparently skipped that chapter in business school 101. The breakfast chain has been hawking coffee for years that never really impressed folks, but despite whispers of customer dissatisfaction it just kept on pumping out the inferior product. However, in a better-late-than-never move, the chain has finally addressed the elephant in the room and upgraded its best-selling breakfast beverage.

If you're an outlier like me and drink coffee black, IHOP's old brew was basically just better than no coffee at all. Most people prefer to enhance their beverage with cream and sugar, though and IHOP regulars are no exception. Roughly 80% of customers mix add-ins into their java before digging into IHOP's fluffy omelets and pancakes. Unsurprisingly, most people found that the weak flavor of the old coffee was drowned out when cream and sugar were introduced.

Thankfully, gone is the lackluster light to medium (pick a lane, IHOP) roast that rarely wowed anyone. The new coffee is made with bolder medium roast Arabica beans and features a subtle sweetness with brown sugar notes combined with a distinctive, nutty scent. But IHOP didn't simply swap suppliers. To achieve pinnacle flavor, proper execution at the restaurant is crucial, and the breakfast chain has committed to educating its staff.

IHOP's bold new brew means that customers can finally get just as excited about enjoying their morning perk as they do about ordering IHOP's best menu items. Ideally, that will be the case whether you're visiting a restaurant in Colorado or Kentucky. As we mentioned, the chain is taking strides to ensure that every pot of coffee is brewed to perfection on-site by training staff members on the details that result in an exceptional cup of joe.

More specifically, employees have been trained on how to appropriately calibrate the brewers so each pot of coffee is just as good as the last. That includes learning about brewing temperatures and water filtration as well as simply using the correct amount of water for every batch. It may have taken years to find the motivation to upgrade their number one drink, but at least the company is taking it seriously now and seemingly pulling out all the stops to guarantee its coffee tastes great from coast to coast.

In hearing customers' pleas for a better morning brew, IHOP also took notice that they value sustainability and acts of charity. The company made it a priority to source its medium roast Arabica beans from farms that are mindful about environmental stewardship, and some of the money IHOP rakes in with each cup of coffee will be donated to Feeding America. The new coffee probably won't top a handcrafted drink from Starbucks, but it certainly has more going for it now than it used to.