Franchisee of Wichita’s newest IHOP says it’s been chosen as a test site for the chain
Ali Issa is proud of his new IHOP, which opened near Ridge and Kellogg in late August within the shadow of the restaurant’s original location.
And he’s excited about several items that his restaurant — a new build that has all the latest IHOP bells and whistles and a much larger kitchen — is getting to test for the chain.
Among them is a collection of new coffee cups, which are much larger than the chain’s traditional coffee cups. The new ones are white on the outside and red or blue on the inside. Each cup has a smile painted on the rim.
“We are the only restaurant right now in the nation that has these coffee cups,” Issa said. “We’re testing these. I volunteered to do it.”
The new IHOP, whose address is 526 S. Ridge Road, is also one of only about a dozen restaurants nationwide testing a line of savory breakfast bowls made with a base of breakfast potatoes topped with meat, eggs and veggies. The Classic bowl, for example, has chopped smoked bacon, pork sausage, diced ham, green peppers, onions, two eggs, shredded cheese and Hollandaise sauce. There’s also a chicken bacon avocado bowl and a chorizo bowl.
So far, Issa said, customers have been ordering the bowls and giving them positive reviews.
Customers also are happy, he said, about the brand-new building, which went up in just three months and 10 days, he said, calling the construction time frame “unheard of.”
In addition to more seats and a new interior, Issa said, the new restaurant is quieter, and its parking lot is spacious and easy to navigate. (The parking lot at the previous address — not so much.)
The restaurant also has a massive new kitchen that’s nearly the same size as the dining room. It has two lines: The staff uses only one on weekdays then fires up both on busy weekends.
Issa decided to move the restaurant, he said, when he found a parcel of land just across the street that he could buy. Now, instead of leasing, he owns the land and the building.
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And, he said, he has an extra 1,800 square feet of land available just to the south of the new IHOP that he hopes to lease out to another business. It would be perfect for an office or even a small juice, bagel or chicken restaurant, he said.
The Ridge Road IHOP was the first in Wichita in the summer of 1999. Issa and his brothers, Ty and Mike, took over the lease in 2011. Ali Issa also owns several other IHOP restaurants in the Wichita market, including the ones at 4870 S. Washington and at 3204 N. Maize Road.
He’s passionate about the restaurant, he said, because IHOP is a trusted brand that appeals to seniors, families and even teens looking for late-night options after sporting events. The new IHOP is open 24 hours a day.
“Certain concepts appeal to certain groups,” Issa said. “But IHOP has managed to appeal to all.”
Some customers aren’t yet aware that the IHOP has moved, Issa said. Those who find themselves at the old address simply need to turn their heads to the east and they’ll see the new restaurant sitting just behind Rib Crib.
This story was originally published September 13, 2024 at 1:53 PM.
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