IHOP 2 with Danny Jelinek

"IHOP 2 with Danny Jelinek" is Episode 115 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "IHOP 2 with Danny Jelinek" was released on August 3, 2017.

## Synopsis

The 'boys welcome director Danny Jelinek (*Last Week Tonight with John Oliver*, *Comedy Bang! Bang!*) to the studio for a lunch & dinner focused revisit of breakfast chain IHOP. A new varietal of Keebler fudge stripes are under review in Snack or Wack.

## Nick's intro

"*Only when the tide goes out do you see who's been swimming naked.*"

This quote, famous in investment circles, is from billionaire Warren Buffett, the chairman and CEO of multinational holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett's vivid quotation is meant to illustrate that during periods of growth, it's easier for a business to hide its weaknesses, but during a decline, its deficiencies are laid bare.

Berkshire Hathaway, under the leadership of Buffett, an admitted fan of junk food, has taken control of numerous food brands including Heinz, See's Candy, and Dairy Queen. Many of America's most popular chain restaurants are in fact owned by these kinds of conglomerates like Brinker International and Sun Capital Partners, with names that sound pulled from dystopian science fiction.

And among the largest of these is DineEquity, whose crown jewel is a breakfast-focused sit-down chain founded in Toluca Lake, California in 1958.

For years, DineEquity was led by one of the most powerful women in corporate America, Julia Stewart, who got her start working as a waitress for the griddle joint at the age of sixteen. As CEO, Stewart vastly grew the company by bolstering franchising, increasing the diner chain's franchise rate to 99% and by expanding the chain's lunch and dinner options. In 2007, Stewart took on heavy debt to engineer a cash-only takeover of chain restaurant Applebee's, turning DineEquity into the second-biggest restaurant group in the country.

But the success would not last forever.

After a decade, as economic inequality led to working families opting for budget-friendly fast food over more expensive sit-down chains, Applebee's and its breakfast brother saw their sales decline, leading to a net reduction in locations. The tide went out.

Stewart was ousted in February of this year, but with over 1600 restaurants worldwide, the eatery where she waited tables as a teen and evolved into a global juggernaut as an adult, is set to await another rising tide.

This week on *Doughboys*, we return to IHOP.

## Fork and Dinner Plate rating 🍽️

The first time the 'boys reviewed IHOP was way back in episode 3, when Nick gave it 4 forks and Mitch rated it 3.5.

This time, they focus on IHOP's dinner options (on a scale of 5 dinner plates), but also offered their ratings for IHOP as a whole (i.e., the usual forks).

* House Salad
	+ 1000 Island Dressing
* Country Fried Steak
	+ Mashed Potatoes
	+ Corn
	+ Garlic Toast
 Mike Mitchell
* Patty Melt
	+ French Fries
 Danny Jelinek
* Roasted Turkey Dinner
	+ Broccoli
	+ Mashed Potatoes
 shared
	+ Monster Mozza Sticks
	+ Onion Rings
	+ Crispy Chicken Strips

## Snack or Wack

In Snack or Wack, The Doughboys have a snack and decide if it is 'good' or 'bad.'

For this episode, they try Keebler Cinnamon Roll Fudge Stripes. They felt the cookies were too cinnamony and the glaze too dad jizzy.

 Mike Mitchell
 Danny Jelinek

## #hashtags

* #7-11NeverForget
* #FoodChallenge or #PaidToEat

## The Feedbag

As a kid, I sometimes ate a mashup of people's leftovers for money. The last time I did this was in the seventh grade and I made 20 dollars. I can't remember what it was, except that I had a stomachache for the next few hours. Somehow I have a feeling Mitch has done this.

## Related Episodes

* 115. **IHOP 2** (dinner only)
* 161. IHOb (burger menu)
* 271. IHOP 4
* 359. IHOP 5 (*Minions* menu)
* DD. Solo

## Photos (via @doughboyspod)

Tropical Island Twist and Strawberry LemonadeHouse SaladPatty Melt with French FriesCountry Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and CornAppetizer SamplerRoasted Turkey with Broccoli and Mashed Potatoes