Business
The all-day breakfast chain has closed its Cambridge and Hyannis locations, though about 20 restaurants remain open statewide.
Alan Diaz / AP, File
The International House of Pancakes, IHOP, closed two longtime mainstay locations in Cambridge and Hyannis.
Pictures shared online of the two locations at 16 Eliot St. in Cambridge and 790 Iyannough Road in Hyannis show the two restaurants shuttered.
“We greatly appreciate our neighbors’ patronage over the years,” Mark Justice, an IHOP franchisee, said in a statement, confirming the two closures.
IHOP will still have 19 other locations in the state. The closures appear to be one-offs and could be because they no longer attracted enough foot traffic or had lapsed leases.
Known for its pancake stacks and all-day breakfast items, IHOP is owned by Dine Brands Global, headquartered in Pasadena, California. Dine Brands also owns and operates Applebee’s and Fuzzy’s Taco Shops.
The first IHOP opened in 1958 in Toluca Lake, California, and has since grown mostly through franchising its business model across the United States and even internationally.
According to its latest annual report, IHOP has 1,812 franchised restaurants and 12 company-owned locations. All of the restaurants in Massachusetts are franchises.
In the report, the company said it hopes to sign an additional 245 IHOP franchisees over the next seven years.
The closures sparked a wave of nostalgia among longtime customers, particularly on Cape Cod, which sported the iconic steep-roofed A-frame design with a bright blue roof.
The Hyannis IHOP, one of the area’s few late-night dining spots, had served customers for more than 50 years. In a Facebook post shared by Cape Cod Restaurant Group, Matthew Tamash called it “part of a town’s history.”
“Thank you for the late-night laughs, the early morning breakfasts, the endless iced coffee refills, the stacks of pancakes, and for making everyone who walked through those doors feel welcome,” he wrote.
The closure comes as WS Development has transformed the former Kmart plaza with new tenants including Whole Foods, Shake Shack, Warby Parker, and Ulta Beauty. Nearby, the longtime Tiki Port restaurant also recently closed.
Reaction to the Cambridge closure was more mixed. While some lamented another Harvard Square restaurant closing after 20 years in business, others said they were not surprised, noting the restaurant often appeared nearly empty.
Beth Treffeisen is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on local news, crime, and business in the New England region.
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