IHOP Frustrates Customers After Social Distancing Confusion Sparks Long Waits for Mother's Day

IHOP may have painted a picture of what the rush to open following the coronavirus lockdown might look like for many. Mother's Day brought many to the breakfast-themed restaurant to pick up orders curbside at restaurants around the country.

The restaurant even offered deals to customers to bring them in for a special family meal they could share at home with loved ones. The Pancake Creations Family Feast was advertised on the restaurant's social media, and included a discount for a first online order at certain restaurants.

Sadly, it seems the result is a rush that IHOP didn't anticipate and lines of angry customers not practicing social distancing as has been set by state and local governments. Photos and videos flooded Twitter and Instagram, while others opted to throw complaints on the company's Facebook page after their own negative experience.

"Ordered curbside pick up on Mother's Day for 10:30 am. There was no designated parking, called and was told they had 50 orders ahead of me, the staff only brought out 2 orders in 30 minutes. I went inside like everyone else who was trying to find out what was going on with their orders. The hostess had no mask or gloves on. There was no social distancing as the waiting area was packed and no one communicated with the customers of why such a blunder!" one Oklahoma-based customer wrote. "I finally got my order 50 minutes late. My food was cold, I got sausage links instead of bacon, no glazed strawberries or [cheesecake] bites for the pancakes and was left with no one who would fix the problem."

"Awful start to [Mother's day]. online order curbside pickup. 1 hour 15 minutes later we left. No food and out the money paid. Poor management prep in scheduling," another added on the page.

The photos shared on social media captured some of the chaos described above, with very few satisfied customers along the way. With some states easing their lockdowns and social distancing guidelines soon, is there a disaster in the making?

For sure, Mother's Day at IHOP fits that description. Scroll down to see some examples from around the United States.