IHOP — Restaurant in Elizabeth City

Food: I got The Big IHOP Pancake Burger and a side order of 2 cupcake pancakes for an up charge instead of getting the unlimited fries. I have ordered the Pancake Burger before so I knew I liked it. Same with the cupcake pancakes. I really enjoy how they cook the burger with a little crisp on the outside of the burger. Ketchup was brought to me for my burger and later on syrup for my pancakes. The pancake/burger combo really just work for my taste buds. It may not be for everyone though. I did not get the IHOP sauce this time (see Service) but I remember it kind of tasting like a weak mayo/ketchup mixture (which I like, BTW, but it might not be everyone's favorite).

Atmosphere/Cleanliness: I got there at a weird time. It was 2pm-ish. The restaurant was maybe 15% full. I asked for a booth and the only one available on the side that they were serving on at this time of day was messy on the floor in front of the table and under the table but I took it anyway as I love a booth. I thought seeing as how they were not really busy that the floor should have been cleaned up but it is what it is. On my way out I heard someone maybe a manager mentioned to about 6 servers that the floors were messy and they needed to be cleaned.

Service: To start off, the main thing is for my server to be friendly. She excelled at this. The second and final part is to get my food right….well… It took no time to get a table. Less than 5 minutes for her to come take my drink and food order. About 10 or less to get my food. Refill's on water were easy to get as she kept checking on me. However, attention to detail on what I ordered was a problem as I did not have any bacon nor IHOP sauce. I told her it should of came with bacon (since I didn’t really care about the sauce at this point) and long story short she said it was a new burger and basically was not sure what was on it because of that and she brought me out some bacon. I accept maybe she really was new or really hadn't had much experience with the burgers and maybe the staff in the back was the same but I am not sure that was the case or not. Either way it should of came with the bacon and IHOP sauce. I hate having to mention this kind of stuff to the staff as I do not like complaining to them especially if I am not sure if it is their fault or not but it is part of going out to eat and getting what you pay for so speaking up is best. She brought me my check before I finished eating and made sure I didn’t need anything else before she left again. About 5 minutes later she came back and then less than 5 minutes again she brought me the receipt to fill out and on my way I went.

Overall, I do enjoy eating IHOPs pancakes and now this new pancake burger had me come back to IHOP in less than a month and I rarely visit IHOP except every few months. I have had issues with slow service in the past, lack of attention to detail, and the restaurant not be that clean so I kind of expect those things at this location to be a problem but I go for the food really... so this is why it still gets an average...

I honestly have not eaten at the EC IHOP in the last four or five years. The reason is it appeared to me and my guests that the food quality and service was getting poorer over time. However since some customers have left good reviews in the past year or so, I likely will give IHOP another chance. There are a couple of issues I'd like to address with the owner. First, the restaurant never looks open. It lacks essential visual cues. It is poorly lit and has minimal signage. This also leads to safety concerns at night, even if they are not warranted. Second, the city of Elizabeth City has very few restaurants open past 9:00 PM and no 24-hour restaurant (at least that I'm aware of}. There is no place to go after an event, party, function, etc. There is more than enough population and traffic through this region to support such a restaurant. There certainly was in the past. A facelift, lights, new advertising, promotions, and sponsoring community events would go a long way. Signs advertising "Open 24/7" along US 17/I-87, Weeksville Road leading from the Coast Guard Base, and around ECSU certainly would draw attention. If you would stay open to even 1:00 AM, it should draw significant attention as long as the restaurant looks inviting. "Now open to 1:00 AM" would certainly get noticed! My best guess is if noone else is willing to offer extended hour service, a Waffle House will make its way here. Just a suggestion ...

Update: We went there approximately 8:30PM and there were zero cars in the unlit customer parking lot. When entering the dark entrance, the overhang had one of four overhead light working. We entered to an absolutely vacant room with not a single customer. On the checkout counter was a sign stating that the new closing time would be 8:00 PM.

The waitress was fine and the food was great. Upon leaving I inquired about their busy times and pointed out the fact that the parking area is very dark and she introduced me to the manager. The manager seemed unaware about the lighting problems. I pointed out that the building walls are unlit at night and what lighting is present is minimal to the point it does not look open. The parking lot for the employees on the back side of the restaurant is lit up wonderfully, however the area for the customers is scary dark. The outside light that is present is overgrown by tree limbs. The area that is darkest does not have any light source.

I want your restaurant to do well but when it's invisible that's just not going to happen.

Finally, what's with the AI bot answering these reviews? That is strange and certainly doesn't make a customer feel like you...

My mother and I visited this IHOP. There was a couple in front of us and a group of 4 behind us. We were all seated, accordingly. Upon our seating in the restaurant, we were greeted by Lakesha, whom was Not our server. She gratefully served us coffee at our request and took our food order since our waitress that was on site but unseen. We sat there drinking our coffee and waiting for our ACTUAL waitress/server. After 30 minutes are actual waitress comes with coffee and condiments; which were already served by Lakesha, that we didn't need. Our waitress, whose name isn't memorable, was only seen 2 twice; in the entire time we sat for 45 minutes. And still no food was brought out. Every time we asked someone about our food order we were given an excuse and was told, "5 minutes". The second time we had seen our waitress, my mother stopped her and demanded they bring our food and it better not be cold or cooked incorrectly. Well, 2 minutes later our food came out. It was horrible! Our eggs were cooked wrong, the hash browns were still in frozen block form and uncooked inside as well as not cooked as we ordered them. My mothers food was the exact disappointment. And the "Elf on the shelf" funnel cakes were cold and hard. Hard enough to hit the plate and it makes a solid noise. After being patient for over 45 minutes; then receiving a disappointing food order. I went to the host station and demanded to speak to a manager. The manager came to our table. Now, at this time that couple that came in front of us and the group of 4 behind us that was seated at the same time. Had already received their food, ate and left and the next wave of customers occupied that same seating, while we were just being served COLD food. We refused the cold food and refused to pay for cold food and the horrible service. After the manager was notified and we were gathering our things to take our business elsewhere to eat; our actual waitress came to our table with a bill, the GULL. My mom, again said we refuse to pay for anything, and told her to go to the manager that we already spoke too that we expressed our sever disappointment towards. We did leave Lakesha a $5.00 tip for her professionalism. We will never attempt to eat...