We tried IHOP's new pancake burger - and it failed to live up to the hype

Irene Jiang,Kate TaylorJun 4, 2019, 23:57 IST

Irene Jiang / Business Insider

IHOP just released the Big IHOP Pancake, a burger with a cheddar pancake in the middle.
The pancake-burger hybrid is a controversial concept, but one we were impressed with during our sampling of the Mc10:35 am during our McDonald's secret menu taste test.
We tried IHOP's pancake burger, and we think that the chain didn't commit fully enough to the concept.
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This week, IHOP debuted a new burger - one that forced people to question whether the chain's chefs were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to wonder if they should.

The Big IHOP Pancake sandwiches a cheddar-cheese pancake between two beef patties as a Big Mac-style third bun. The burger also contains American cheese, bacon, and IHOP sauce.

The burger-pancake hybrid immediately sparked controversy online. Some celebrated the decadence of the meaty, carb-loaded menu item, while others questioned why the breakfast chain would put a pancake in a burger.

However, in our taste test of the McDonald's secret menu, we were impressed by the Mc10:35 am, a burger-McGriddle combo that sold us on the radical idea of putting pancakes and a burger together. And as fans of IHOP's much-maligned burgers, we went in with high hopes for the newest addition to the chain's menu.

Here is how the Big IHOP measures up - and why we are not convinced that it fulfills its potential:

See We tried IHOP's new pancake burger - and it failed to live up to the hype >>

First impression: very tall and very beige.

The cheese was nicely melted onto the thick patty, and the bacon added a touch of color.

IHOP is sending burgers to some critics of the IHOb campaign who apologize for their past comments. While we were fans of the IHOb burgers, the burger that IHOP sent for us to taste test was similarly personalized.

However, the cheddar-baked pancake sandwiched between the two patties looked kind of dry.

Splitting the burger open revealed that it was mostly carbs and meat, with a light hint of cheese and sauce.

There didn't seem to be much in the way of sauce or syrup to temper the dryness of the buns.

However, we held out hope that the pancake would secretly be moist, syrupy, and sweet.

Alas, it was not. The Big IHOP tasted exactly how it looked: meaty, carby, and dry.

The cheesy pancake was mildly savory but ultimately dry and flavorless. It essentially served the purpose of a Big Mac's third bun, but without any of the sauces or toppings that make a Big Mac flavorful.

The Big IHOP was mostly beef and bread — and not much else. We were disappointed because we'd seen the pancake-burger concept work so well before at McDonald's, and we expected IHOP to do it even better. The Big IHOP simply doesn't commit enough to combining pancakes with a burger. We'd like to see IHOP lean into the concept fully and give its burgers the glorious, sticky, syrupy, pancake treatment they deserve.

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