GLENDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 6, 2012--
IHOP® is launching two programs to raise awareness for its
annual free pancake giveaway fundraiser benefitting Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals and other local charities. The family-friendly
restaurant chain invites pancake lovers to receive a wake up call on
February 28, 2012 – IHOP’s National Pancake Day – from a teen
heartthrob, an NFL Hall of Famer, a GRAMMY®-nominated singer,
or one of the most beautiful women in America. Flapjack fanatics can
also participate in IHOP’s “Stacks for Good Acts” national online
contest, which will reward one lucky winner with a year’s supply of free
pancakes on National Pancake Day.
To spread the word about National Pancake Day, several Children’s
Miracle Network Hospitals’ celebrity supporters have joined forces to
“wake up” fans and encourage them to seek out free pancakes on Tuesday,
February 28. Hotcake enthusiasts can register to receive a wake up call
on National Pancake Day from NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, Children’s
Miracle Network Hospitals co-founders John Schneider and Marie Osmond,
singers David Archuleta and GRAMMY-nominated Jordin Sparks, Twilight
star Boo Boo Stewart, Disney XD star Brendan Meyer, and the recently
crowned Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler. Wake up calls can be
requested at IHOPPancakeDay.com
through Friday, February 24, 2012.
National Pancake Day is also an exciting date for participants in IHOP’s
“Stacks For Good Acts” online contest, which invites good Samaritans to
submit a story of 250 words or less about a good deed they or someone
they know did in 2011. The author of the winning entry, who will be
announced on National Pancake Day, will receive free pancakes for one
year (defined as one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes per day for
365 days). Entries will be judged on emotional impact, originality and
entertainment value, and they can be submitted anytime at IHOPPancakeDay.com
between now and the end of the contest at 11:59 p.m. ET on February 24,
2012. Complete "Stacks for Good Acts" contest rules can be found at IHOPPancakeDay.com.
On National Pancake Day, Tuesday, February 28, 2012, IHOP will give
guests one free short stack of its signature buttermilk pancakes from 7
a.m. to 10 p.m. at more than 1,500 restaurants throughout the United
States. In return, IHOP will ask guests to make a voluntary donation to
support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities,
hoping to break a record by raising more than $2.7 million.
For more information about National Pancake Day, to find a local IHOP,
or to donate to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, please visit www.IHOPPancakeDay.com.
ABOUT IHOP
For 53 years, the IHOP family restaurant chain has served its world
famous pancakes and a wide variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner items
that are loved by people of all ages. IHOP offers its guests an
affordable, everyday dining experience with warm and friendly service.
As of September 30, 2011, there were 1,532 IHOPs in 50 states and the
District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under the licensed name IHOP at HOME®
consumers can also enjoy a line of premium breakfast products available
at leading retailers. IHOP restaurants are franchised and operated by
Glendale, Calif.-based International House of Pancakes, LLC and its
affiliates. International House of Pancakes, LLC is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN).
ABOUT CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds for 170 children’s
hospitals across the United States and Canada, which, in turn, use the
money where it’s needed the most. When a donation is given it stays in
the community, helping local kids. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals has raised more than $4 billion, most of it $1 at a
time. These donations have gone to support research and training,
purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of
the mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as
possible. Learn more at CMNHospitals.org.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Pancake Day is a tradition that dates back
several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent.
Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so
pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other
dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday. To
allow for a full month of fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network
Hospitals, IHOP’s National Pancake Day will take place a week after
Shrove Tuesday, on Tuesday, February 28.
Source: IHOP
Wills Communications, Inc.
Terry Wills/Amanda Kelly
310-546-1212
twills@willscom.com
/ akelly@willscom.com
