IHOP — Restaurant in Salem

I have been going to various IHOPs for as long as I can remember. You can usually rely on their fast friendly service with halfway decent food. This visit the service just didn't seem to be there. My grandmother and I came in with my baby in a carrier. The waitress who was also hostess seated us in her section and said she would get a high chair but stopped to talk to one of the other waitresses so I was stuck holding a heavy baby carrier waiting for her to get back before I could take off my coat and sit. It took her so long to come back and take our orders my grandmother had to take a phonecall, then she tries to take our orders while my grandmother was still on the phone.

Once we did order the food came out very fast which was a plus. But while we were eating we could hear arguing/complaining coming from the kitchen (we were seated closest to the kitchen) and also two waitresses (one was our waitress) was complaining while standing at the computer terminal right behind our table. I think they were complaining that it was busy for a Monday?? I get it, busy times can be stressful if you're not prepared for them but maybe don't complain when you're standing right next to a table of patrons.

Overall it was an OK experience. I'm not sure if the woman who was our hostess/waitress was a manager or not but if she was she certainly wasn't a very good example to the other waitstaff. If she wasn't a manager I didn't see anyone else who looked like they were a manager and they certainly looked like they could have used...

Update, Oct. 2023 So, we really like to have breakfast for dinner once in a blue moon, and IHOP is convenient for that, so we tried this place again. Our server was super timid and only showed up to take our order, drop off the food, then the bill. Never checked on us once in between to check on things. Most of the food was okay, but I don't think the cook knows what hash browns are supposed to be like. Ours came out white and barely warm, uncooked and inedible. Couldn't complain because our server was AWOL after dropping off our plates. I complained about the hash browns when we finally got our check, so moments later I was brought a togo container with a pile of hard, scorched, burnt smelling, potato shreds. Gross. Cook was obviously being petty for the undercooked complaint. How do you work for a breakfast joint and not know how to cook hash browns? The dinning room was empty for a reason I guess. Lots of lounging employees and no customers should have clued us in. Pretty sure we saw someone buying/selling "something" from an employee as we left. Yikes. I love a good IHOP, but this is definitely one to AVOID.

2022 review: Not great. Pancakes and french toast came out okay, but everything else was sketchy. Hashbrowns were only browned on one side and my overeasy eggs were overhard. There was no host, so seating took too long. There was a faint unpleasant smell in the dining room, like a drain pipe was backed up or something. Our server seemed...over it. Won't...

We went in tonight to try there IHOB MENU THE BURGERS HANDS DOWN WERE WONDERFUL STEAK FLAVOR LIKE HIGH QUALITY WE STOPPED AT THE SALEM LOCATION PERFECTLY COOKED I HAD THE MONSTER BURGER A DOUBLED PATTY LETTUCE TOMATO RED ONION PICKLES & THERE SPECIAL SAUCE ON A BRIOCHE ROLL SIDE OF ONION RINGS WITH DIET PEPSI MY GUEST HAD THE MUSHROOM SWISS BURGER SINGLE PATTY WITH COOKED ONIONS PICKLES SIDE OF FRIES WAS PERFECTLY COOKED I TRIED IT WAS VERY GOOD SO THEY KNOCKED OUT OF THE PARK WITH BURGERS . HIGHLY RECOMEND GREAT BURGERS ! THE APPETIZER OF ONION RING 5.00 ONLY 7 1/2 OF THEM SAME AMOUNT YOU GET FOR SIDE WITH BURGER A SMALL DISAPPOINTMENT THE COFFEE WE GOT WAS COLD ASKED FOR FRESH HOT COFFEE SAME NOT VERY GOOD. **THE STRAWBERRY SHAKE WAS VERY WEAK TASTED LIKE STRAWBERRY MILK 6.00 VERY SMALL COFFEE 3.00 A CUP. PEPSI 3.00 BUCKS . FORGET DRINKS IF THE COFFEE WAS BETTER AND DRINKS WERE NOT AWFUL THEY GET FIVE STARS. GREAT SERVICE FAST DONE RIGHT BUT WAITRESSES LIKE PULLING PLATES WHILE YOUR EATING WATCHED IT DONE AT 3 OTHER NEAR BY TABLE'S NICE CLEAN RESTAURANT TRY THE BURGERS FORGET COFFEE. THE WAITRESS CLEARING AWAY PLATES AND CUPS STILL BEING USED WAS ANNOYINGLY RIDICULOUS WE FELT RUSHED THE WHOLE TIME BUT THE FOOD MADE UP FOR IT. NEEDS HELP HOSTESS /...