IHOP Cancels National Pancake Day Amid COVID-19 Concerns, But You Can Still Get Free Short Stacks

IHOP announced Tuesday that it is canceling National Pancake Day 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Although this will mark the first time in more than 15 years the restaurant chain has not held the annual event — which typically sees them offering guests a free Short Stack of IHOP buttermilk pancakes — IHOP said it is offering up something different. The decision follows that of several other chains, including 7-Eleven, which canceled Free Slurpy Day in June.

Sharing the sad cancellation news on Twitter early Tuesday morning, IHOP announced it would be turning Free Pancake Day into a month-long event beginning in April. The breakfast chain is offering guests an IOU coupon good for a free Short Stack of buttermilk pancakes starting on April 1. To claim an IOU, you must be an existing MyHOP email club member or register for the service by March 31. You will then be rewarded with a coupon, which can be redeemed for in-restaurant or to-go orders by visiting IHOP.com or the IHOP Mobile App beginning in April. A similar deal will also be available for those who do not wish to sign up for the MyHOP email club. Those guests can receive a free short stack with a minimum $10 purchase.

In a statement to USA Today, IHOP President Jay Johns said National Pancake Day is typically one of the company’s busiest days of the year, though they decided it best to forego the event this year to ensure the health and safety of customers and staff, which Johns said is a top priority. Johns added that “rather than cancel the day completely during a time when everyone could use a little hoppiness, we decided to flip the day to a month-long event to give everyone the flexibility to enjoy a free Short Stack whenever they would like, while also supporting our national charity partner Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.”

“At IHOP, our top priority is the safety of our guests and team members,” Johns added. “Given nothing about this past year has been ordinary–and while we look forward to celebrating National Pancake Day with guests under our blue roof in the future—we recognize it’s not possible to gather millions of our closest family and friends in our restaurants on a single day this year.”

The decision to cancel National Pancake Day comes as coronavirus cases across the country continue to rise, with the total number of cases in the U.S. surpassing 27.6 million by Tuesday morning and deaths reaching more than 486,000. It also comes as several new strains of the virus have been confirmed in the U.S., with scientists believing some of these strains are more transmissible and deadly.