Why Customers Say You Should Avoid IHOP's Bacon

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Breakfast foods are sacred to American consumers. If a dining chain wants to build their brand around breakfast, they better nail the pancakes, the eggs, and the bacon — especially the bacon. IHOP has clearly missed this memo, because its customers are constantly disappointed by the meaty offering, warning that the chain's Hickory-Smoked Bacon Strips (and even Turkey Bacon Strips) are definitely one of the dishes to avoid ordering at IHOP.

IHOP's bacon is inconsistent in the worst ways possible. Some customers receive it undercooked, others only partially cooked, and in some cases it arrives completely charred. "The bacon was black from being burnt, I couldn't eat it," said one customer on Trustpilot. Another reviewer lamented that they had to "throw [the] uncooked bacon in the microwave" at home to finish cooking it. It seems like the only thing consistent about IHOP's bacon is how bad it is.

Even when the chain does, miraculously, get it right, it comes after the customer has already experienced a string of disappointing experiences. "Today I got my bacon cooked the way I wanted it after several try's at other ihops," said another reviewer on Trustpilot. Two slices of bacon will cost you nearly $5 at IHOP, which really just adds insult to injury. Instead, you're much better off getting a 16-ounce pack of Great Value Sliced Hickory Smoked Original Bacon at Walmart for $4.74 and making proper crispy oven-baked bacon at home.

It's not just the bacon. Customers say this 68-year-old breakfast chain just isn't worth it anymore, as it has abysmally dropped in quality, while keeping the prices unreasonably high. From cold and undercooked food to dirty restaurants, IHOP seems to be dropping the ball on customer satisfaction. Paying $25 for a good omelet would still be considered costly, and perhaps expected at a luxury place, but definitely not at a diner. Yet IHOP is charging that price for omelets that arrive cold! "Ive never had a worse omelet in my 62 years on this earth," said one disappointed customer in a Trustpilot review, lamenting over how the diner has changed for the worse.

Sadly, IHOP has been on a downward spiral for a while. The chain is owned by Dine Brands, which also owns Applebee's — yet another chain restaurant that diners say isn't what it used to be. The company stocks have plummeted, the debt is in the hundreds of millions, and there's nothing that's keeping IHOP relevant. The youth don't feel compelled to eat there, and older generations are clearly getting fed up with the constant poor service. As somebody on Facebook put it, "It looks like the old restaurant, but the soul is gone."