IHOP — Restaurant in Dania Beach

While traveling to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise leaving from Port Everglades, my family and I stayed at a nearby hotel.

We arrived on Thanksgiving Day and went to this IHOP for breakfast/lunch. I have been to many IHOPs across America (and now Canada) and have always been happy with the experience. There is a certain level of quality that is always achieved.

Given that this location has a 3.8 rating overall, I will assume that this was an off day for them. Maybe because it was a holiday, maybe for other reasons beyond my understanding. But, hands down, this is the worst experience I've ever had at an IHOP. This is one of the worst experiences that I've ever had in a restaurant in general.

We were in a group of 6 adults and one toddler. The waitress was either not listening to us, or not understanding their own menu. She could not understand what we were ordering, would repeatedly write down the incorrect order, or ask us for details unrelated to what we were ordering. After an initial struggle, she left with our orders. After an extensive wait (during which time many people arrived, ordered, ate, and left), the waitress returned to inform us that most of what we ordered wasn't available (with the manager chiming in that they hadn't received an ingredient delivery). That's fine, these things happen.

After a similar struggle to earlier, we managed to order different things. Again we waited, again we were informed that now these new orders weren't available. We were getting visibly frustrated at this point. There seemed to be no urgency and no understanding of available menu items.

The manager then proceeded to reprimand the employee in front of everyone. While this may have been warranted, it was neither the time or the place. The manager himself proceeded to take our order and food started to arrive (at this point, my toddler was very hungry and angry, as were we all).

The manager himself was quite friendly and apologetic. At first there was a lot of banter, but then this started trailing into "too much information" territory. The manager started to tell our table about how it was difficult to find new hires and he thought he was offering good pay, but prospective employees would rather sell drugs than wait tables.

But I digress.

The food was acceptable, but the experience to get this food was not. The manager was nice, but probably got much too comfortable and open with his stories (the language was colorful). This was Thanksgiving Day, so there were probably additional challenges to operating, but if this is the level of service they could provide, they probably should have just stayed closed for the day.

Overall, I will never be returning to...

I was hungry around 5am and thought this was the only place open. The bad review is specifically about the horrendous service I had there. I walk in and it takes awhile to get a seat (understandable at this hour) but the waitress brusquely asks if I need a menu (I guess a lot of regulars here know what they want--I haven't been in an IHOP in maybe 10 years). Realizing I look maybe more than slightly taken aback, she does apologize and says she's worked a 10 hour shift. She comes over and says in a really demanding way, "What do you want?" I order quickly and politely ask if I can substitute more ham with eggs, to which she bluntly replies "no." I texted a friend who said that you can actually substitute, but I don't care, just be a little more f--ing polite about it. I go out to vape and come back, and my food is there with no condiments or even silverware, which I go get myself. At the end of the meal she gives me the check and says her shift is over, and I give her a $20 on a 13.45 bill, to which she has the gall to ask if i needed change after literally the worst service I've ever seen in an American restaurant.

The most annoying part about this was that she was acting extremely nice/sweet to 2 parties of four I believe who I assume are regulars and tip her well. She treated me like total garbage, though, since I'm there alone and clearly a one-timer, so she obviously was ok faking politeness for tips but doesn't mind losing a potential repeat customer who she knows will make up a fairly negligible portion of her tips even if I tipped very well (I almost always do at these sorts of places--I would normally tip around 4-5 dollars on a 14 dollar meal since I understand the predatory sub-min wage system for tipped employees really screws them over). All I really care about is attitude--if a server make an effort to be polite, even if they make a lot of mistakes when they're clearly having a bad day, that would be enough for me to give a nice (pretty much always well over 20 percent) tip at this...

Have to edit my review now. I've been coming to this location for almost 3 years now. And for the most part always get the samething.

Yet my orders always are off last couple times I've gone.

I'm not even greeted by certain waitresses when I walk in. They look me in the face and keep walking.

I now have to wait 10 minutes for someone to take my order and that's with me having to speak up.

The head manager/owner who sometimes help as a 3rd chef, walks around like he's afraid to say anything to the waitresses.

Only the night time crew is worth going. I'm definitely not going here anymore in the morning.

It's literally 1-2mins away walking. Same driving. But lately I've been going to Dennys which is 10mins away or Cracker Barrel which is 26-30mins away.

But sometimes I crave IHOP pancakes. So now I'll have to drive the next IHOP.

Something needs to be done bout the staff here.

The other reviews that mentions that the staff talk about customers, even in front of other customers is true. Heck, the few waitresses that are still friendly with me have no problem discussing their distaste.

Even their dislike for other waitresses that are new.

Good luck being a new waitress here. They don't last long. All the vets ignore them or when they do help they are demeaning and talk down to them in front the customer.

Again, I've been coming here for almost 3 years. 90% still the same staff. But I've seen girls come and go.

I'm done with this spot unless it's after 10pm. I like that crew's attitude.

---------------------(edited ^)

Overall good spot. For months i was addicted to this place. Good prices and taste value. Some of the waitresses can come off with a bit of an attitude. But i guess that comes with...