IHOP gone

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
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Had lunch a second ago in Sambil, Italian place at the entrance and noticed IHOP was gone. I asked the waitress and she said they closed last week. I asked if it was for lack of customers and she said that many times they closed at 5pm because no one would come after that anyway.

Another example of bringing a franchise without doing a feasibility study.
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
High prices, low traffic mall (for now), low-middle class consumers: also out of business quick.
 

waytogo

Moderator - North Coast Forum
Apr 3, 2009
6,407
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Santiago DR
High prices, low traffic mall (for now), low-middle class consumers: also out of business quick.

Now, if they would have served rice, beans, and overcooked meat..............
They would have flourished.............

B in Santiago
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
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Feasibility study, shmeasibility study! They just knew it made good business sense to open yet another mega mall!

IHOP was quite busy the first and last time I went. Maybe everyone else there thought it was sh?te too.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
363
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is this the pancake-y place? i cannot imagine many dominicans would be interested in eating pancakes for dinner?
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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The creperie in Plaza de Espa?a (no longer there) was popular enough with Dominicans, and would fill up in the evenings. IHOP seemed to be more of a breakfast/brunch place.
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
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"Pichardo" did their "Feasibility Study"!
He showed them some of his "Pretty Computer Generated Photos" of the mall filled with thousands of the new Dominican "Middle Class" with millions of pesos in disposable income!!
The next year will see many more following "IHOP"!


ps, they serve a lot more than just pancakes.
Full dinners are available as well!
I go in the USA, but just on my "Free Birthday Meal" day!
I tried to get in on their "Kids Eat Free" but was too tall!

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Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
they moving it somewhere else near Churchill

That would be a better place, but there was no paper on the doors saying they moved or are moving. However, after paying X00,000 dollars in franchising fee I can imagine you are not giving up because of being in a bad location.
 

jeanchris

Bronze
Feb 27, 2012
627
0
0
I went maybe 3 times to ihop in DR, all the 3 times i had a horrible service, but seriously, the worst i never had in DR.

Everyone seemed so clueless there about everything, wouldnt be shocked if it didnt work for bad management.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

jstarebel

Silver
Oct 4, 2013
3,330
333
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is this the pancake-y place? i cannot imagine many dominicans would be interested in eating pancakes for dinner?

Yep. Specializing in pancakes, waffles, crepes, and mainly breakfast stuff although they have sandwiches and other stuff. I can't imagine that too many Dominicanos ate breakfast there. They don't serve pan de agua and their coffee is clove free.
 

rafael

Bronze
Jan 2, 2002
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That would be a better place, but there was no paper on the doors saying they moved or are moving. However, after paying X00,000 dollars in franchising fee I can imagine you are not giving up because of being in a bad location.

Their facebook says so. No confirmed location yet. Being in mall made as much sense as dennys being at the airport.
I have gone to IHOP in DR maybe 10 times and have eaten in ihop probably over 100 times in my life. NEVER went for dinner, NEVER went for lunch. IHOP is about breakfast, whether that means early weekend morning with family or 4am after leaving the bar. It is definitely thing in NY to hit a diner or breakfast joint after a night of drinking. . .or white castle. . .


Sorry to hear about service. The times I went service was very good. My wife's family were shocked at how good, as they are used to dominican service. I would wager they were trained by gringos from corporate. I often wonder why a us franchise can have great service when they open but then turn to crap.

I have to think the stupid policy of 10% service being shared by wait staff is to blame. If a crappy waiter and excellent waiter get paid the same. . .why bother being an excellent waiter?
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
One place that should close in Santo Domingo is Fridays. Overpriced food with horrible service.

I rarely went to an IHOP in the US unless I was staying at a hotel that had no breakfast and an IHOP was close. They were good, but I can imagine that one in the DR would not be up to the same level. I can't think of one chain I have been to here that is at the same level as one in the US. I try them once and not again.
 

Bronxboy

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2007
14,107
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It is definitely thing in NY to hit a diner or breakfast joint after a night of drinking. . .or white castle. . .


Oh yeah!!!

BTW, IHOP sures means breakfast BUT at anytime.

I love pancakes at 7:00pm. Is this dinner or breakfast?

hahahahahahahaha
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
Their facebook says so. No confirmed location yet. Being in mall made as much sense as dennys being at the airport.
I have gone to IHOP in DR maybe 10 times and have eaten in ihop probably over 100 times in my life. NEVER went for dinner, NEVER went for lunch. IHOP is about breakfast, whether that means early weekend morning with family or 4am after leaving the bar. It is definitely thing in NY to hit a diner or breakfast joint after a night of drinking. . .or white castle. . .


Sorry to hear about service. The times I went service was very good. My wife's family were shocked at how good, as they are used to dominican service. I would wager they were trained by gringos from corporate. I often wonder why a us franchise can have great service when they open but then turn to crap.

I have to think the stupid policy of 10% service being shared by wait staff is to blame. If a crappy waiter and excellent waiter get paid the same. . .why bother being an excellent waiter?
Probably trained by the franchise giver in first instance and new employees are trained by the local manager.
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
21,843
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I'll go ANYWHERE that serves "Chicken Fried Steak", even BAD Chicken Fried Steak!
I don't "DO" franchises in the DR, Worse food, double prices, EXCEPT "Pizza Hut" on "2fer" days!
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rafael

Bronze
Jan 2, 2002
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One place that should close in Santo Domingo is Fridays. Overpriced food with horrible service.

I rarely went to an IHOP in the US unless I was staying at a hotel that had no breakfast and an IHOP was close. They were good, but I can imagine that one in the DR would not be up to the same level. I can't think of one chain I have been to here that is at the same level as one in the US. I try them once and not again.

I disagree 1000% I find most american franchises in DR to have exact same quality as in US. KFC, Fridays, Outback, Johnny Rocketts, Chili's, Wendys, McDonald's etc etc etc all taste the same as US.

Now, in US I rarely eat in any of those as there are way better options for the types of food they provide. However if I am in the mood for wings, I go to hooters, Hard Rock or Fridays, Burger I head to Johnny Rocket's, Prime Rib the only option is Outback.

My wife loves Prime Rib at Outback. To me it is just OK. She has never had smith and wollensky's or Lawrys though. Not only a different league, but playing a different sport!

Having said that, I have been to the "best" steakhouses in Medellin, Bogota and Cartagena and I would take Outback over any of them any day if just going by quelity of meat not ambience or location. There are also a bucnh of places in SD that have much better steaks than outback, Patagonia, David Crockett, Asadero Argentino, Don Nestor, Sofia's, etc etc etc but none of them have prime rib.