IHOP Promotes Free Pancakes for a Cause with Celebrity Wake Up Calls and “Stacks for Good Acts” Online Contest

GLENDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IHOP^® is launching two programs to raise awareness for its annual free pancake giveaway fundraiser benefitting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities. The family-friendly restaurant chain invites pancake lovers to receive a wake up call on February 28, 2012 – IHOP’s National Pancake Day – from a teen heartthrob, an NFL Hall of Famer, a GRAMMY^®-nominated singer, or one of the most beautiful women in America. Flapjack fanatics can also participate in IHOP’s “Stacks for Good Acts” national online contest, which will reward one lucky winner with a year’s supply of free pancakes on National Pancake Day.

To spread the word about National Pancake Day, several Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ celebrity supporters have joined forces to “wake up” fans and encourage them to seek out free pancakes on Tuesday, February 28. Hotcake enthusiasts can register to receive a wake up call on National Pancake Day from NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals co-founders John Schneider and Marie Osmond, singers David Archuleta and GRAMMY-nominated Jordin Sparks, Twilight star Boo Boo Stewart, Disney XD star Brendan Meyer, and the recently crowned Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler. Wake up calls can be requested at IHOPPancakeDay.com through Friday, February 24, 2012.

National Pancake Day is also an exciting date for participants in IHOP’s “Stacks For Good Acts” online contest, which invites good Samaritans to submit a story of 250 words or less about a good deed they or someone they know did in 2011. The author of the winning entry, who will be announced on National Pancake Day, will receive free pancakes for one year (defined as one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes per day for 365 days). Entries will be judged on emotional impact, originality and entertainment value, and they can be submitted anytime at IHOPPancakeDay.com between now and the end of the contest at 11:59 p.m. ET on February 24, 2012. Complete "Stacks for Good Acts" contest rules can be found at IHOPPancakeDay.com.

On National Pancake Day, Tuesday, February 28, 2012, IHOP will give guests one free short stack of its signature buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at more than 1,500 restaurants throughout the United States. In return, IHOP will ask guests to make a voluntary donation to support Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities, hoping to break a record by raising more than $2.7 million.

For more information about National Pancake Day, to find a local IHOP, or to donate to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, please visit www.IHOPPancakeDay.com.

ABOUT IHOP

For 53 years, the IHOP family restaurant chain has served its world famous pancakes and a wide variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner items that are loved by people of all ages. IHOP offers its guests an affordable, everyday dining experience with warm and friendly service. As of September 30, 2011, there were 1,532 IHOPs in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Under the licensed name IHOP at HOME^® consumers can also enjoy a line of premium breakfast products available at leading retailers. IHOP restaurants are franchised and operated by Glendale, Calif.-based International House of Pancakes, LLC and its affiliates. International House of Pancakes, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN).

ABOUT CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada, which, in turn, use the money where it’s needed the most. When a donation is given it stays in the community, helping local kids. Since 1983, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $4 billion, most of it $1 at a time. These donations have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of the mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Learn more at CMNHospitals.org.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Pancake Day is a tradition that dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday. To allow for a full month of fundraising for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, IHOP’s National Pancake Day will take place a week after Shrove Tuesday, on Tuesday, February 28.