Does anyone understand IHOP's nutrition?

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hgycta
hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My experience with IHOP's menu has been incredibly frustrating, to be honest. Has anyone else noticed how the calories on the website doesn't always match with their PDF version? Or how the meals don't always state everything included? There are even greater variations when you consider their app, but I'm not complicating things even more with that one, considering their app seems a bit outdated in regards to their menu.
Anywho, perhaps examples will reveal why I'm so frustrated. I could really use some help in determining which is accurate!

To begin, their Strawberry Vanilla Stuffed French Toast WAS 540 calories for quite some time, but are now a whopping 1,040 calories! Was this because they were really that far off originally, or do they now account for the combo you can order it as?

On their website, their 4 stack of NY Cheesecake Pancakes are 850 calories. On their PDF, they're 1,100 for 4. Quite a big difference.

On their website, their Simple & Fit Blueberry Harvest Grain 'N Nut Combo is served with two pancakes topped with banana slices, and scrambled egg substitute for 560 calories. On their PDF, it is 480 calories. Complicated enough? Nope. In their restaurant it's always served with two strips of turkey bacon, something not even in the menu description, but 50 calories more nonetheless.

On their website, a 4 stack of Double Blueberry Pancakes are 970 calories, or 690 calories on their PDF.

Their website description of their Simple & Fit Vegetable Omelet says it comes with a side of seasonal mixed fruit, just 330 calories. Just below it, however, it says 310 calories (did they take out the fruit? Isn't the fruit 60 calories though?)

I could go on for ages with this, but for everyone's sake I won't. I think you guys get the idea. A new IHOP has opened near me and I was just so conflicted xP I ended up logging the Simple & Fit blueberry pancakes as 560 calories plus 50 more for the bacon, which defeats their "under 600 calorie" claim and the only "400-500 calories for each combo" as stated on their menu I was ordering from. I doubt all of that was between 400-500, though.
Anyone here a fan of IHOP? Or extremely talented in logging it? I need your help!

Replies

  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
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    I'm in just out of curiosity. I always went with their website info.

    On a related note, Buffalo Wild Wings adds sides to the nutrition info on all their items, even though you have to order sides separately on most items. It's so frustrating when restaurants do that! Just give me the info for each piece and let me do my math.

    On the other hand, Perkins and Dairy Queen for sure have nutrition calculators, which let you figure out both individual pieces and alterations. It's pretty awesome.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
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    Are you saying that there's a difference between IHOP's PDF and entries you're finding in the MFP database? If that's the case, just go by IHOP's PDF. The database can and does have incorrect entries.... and it's not just with IHOP, unfortunately.
  • SomethingElseToo
    SomethingElseToo Posts: 14
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    Last month, I was going to IHOP, so I looked up their nutrition.
    Yikes!
    I never dreamed the calorie count would be so high.
    I like their food, but don't especially want to use that high of a percentage of my daily allotment on one meal, so they're a VERY occasional choice for me.
    I know that's not the help you're looking for, but really, there are other places with healthier options. Don't go to IHOP real often & just enjoy it when you do.:~)
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
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    No, I'm actually comparing the nutrition from IHOP's website (they feature an entree's nutrition right below the picture) against IHOP's PDF nutrition. IHOP seems to disagree with itself! Surely it cannot be counting for the sides in the PDF, since they have a separate section for that. The entrees themself have these variations. It's so complicated!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    No, I'm actually comparing the nutrition from IHOP's website (they feature an entree's nutrition right below the picture) against IHOP's PDF nutrition. IHOP seems to disagree with itself! Surely it cannot be counting for the sides in the PDF, since they have a separate section for that. The entrees themself have these variations. It's so complicated!

    restaurants are allowed roughly 20% or so leeway due to the fact that you have various people throwing foods and ingredients together and what not...most of those people which are barely literate in many cases. Add to that, it's a massive franchise, not one singular restaurant.

    They can legally be allowed to post calories and nutrients pretty much anywhere within that margin. I'd probably suggest less IHOP and more putting the time into rocking your own recipes and nutrition and otherwise worrying less about such minutia.

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