IHOP is bringing back stuffed French toast at participating restaurants nationwide, backed by a new campaign. The dish debuted in 2003 and had been off the menu for six years, yet diners never stopped asking — it became the chain’s most requested item on social media. “I want to stress how important social listening is,” said Lenna Yamamichi, IHOP’s vice president of brand creative. “There’s no better insight than leaning into what guests want.” It’s a case of social listening marketing shaping both the menu decision and the creative.
IHOP didn’t just listen. It teased the return by replying to old posts and comments from fans who had asked for the dish.
The 30-second hero spot features diners in rococo styling reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette,” enjoying the dish to Katseye’s hit “Pinky Up.” When a server makes the song’s signature gesture, the crowd cheers. “The fans have positioned stuffed French toast as French toast, but fancy,” Yamamichi said. “‘Fancy’ became this rich creative territory... because it turns an item into an experience.” The campaign was created by IHOP, Deutsch and DeVries Global and runs on TV and owned social and digital channels with influencer and PR support.
Positioning the dish as a small luxury taps the “little treats” trend that consumers — especially Gen Z — seek amid persistent financial pressure. Restaurant, alcohol and food brands are all leaning in, and Hershey’s recently used the same song. Seen alongside Hershey’s dancing with Katseye on a subway, one track has become a shared Gen Z language for multiple brands. Yamamichi said people are embracing the song’s meaning: redefining what luxury means to you.
IHOP’s domestic same-store sales rose 1.5% in Q2, and the brand outperformed Black Box Intelligence benchmarks for sales and traffic for the third straight quarter, according to parent Dine Brands, which credited a value-focused ad campaign in part. “We saw years of demand across social media and beyond, and we knew this was the right moment to bring back a fan favorite,” said IHOP President Lawrence Kim.
Mining comeback requests and recurring phrases in reviews can point any brand toward its next campaign — part of the broader shift where brand messages become content and content becomes fandom.
Although off the menu for six years, it was IHOP’s most requested item on social media, and social listening confirmed lasting demand.
The fans’ own framing of the dish as “French toast, but fancy,” expressed through rococo styling and Katseye’s “Pinky Up.”
By replying to old social posts and comments from customers who had asked for the dish to return.
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