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Monday, June 2, 2008

IHOP goes upscale in Mexico City

By Jeremy Schwartz | Monday, June 2, 2008, 05:47 AM

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The latest American chain to create a buzz south of the border is International House of Pancakes, which brought its diner-style breakfast food to Mexico City last month. For American palates, the arrival of an IHOP might not be a big deal - after all, there are more than 1,300 branches in the states.

But in Mexico City, IHOP has become the Next Big Thing (The first IHOP opened in Monterrey a couple years ago). The Reforma newspaper reports that on a recent afternoon the wait time for a table was nearly two hours. Weekends it seems it’s impossible to get a table without a reservation. And IHOP in Mexico is decidedly upscale: there’s valet parking and the first restaurant is located in the exclusive neighborhood of Lomas de Chapultepec. Upcoming branches will reportedly be located in ultra-sophisticated areas like Santa Fe and Polanco.

A reviewer for Reforma was at a loss to explain the restaurant’s popularity in the DF: “The place doesn’t have much charm,” wrote Myrna Martinez. “The decoration is so simple that it borders on austere.”

IHOP isn’t the first American chain to migrate across the border to be reborn as a trendy, upscale status symbol. Starbucks have become meeting places for city’s wealthy youth, Chilis is a hotspot for movers and shakers and Blockbuster serves an upper-class clientele. Even H-E-B has some stores in Monterrey that feel more like a luxury department store than a supermarket.

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