IHOP Honors Fastest Flapjack Flipper

In a field of 7,000 fast and fabulous IHOP flapjack flippers, Simon Romero of San Antonio, Texas, ranks number one! Simon efficiently flipped flapjacks and prepared meals with attention to IHOP's high standards to become IHOP's fastest cook in the company's 2001 Golden Spat Contest, an employee incentive competition, held recently at the company's National Franchise Conference in San Francisco, Calif. As the winner, Romero received a $500 prize, a Golden Spat trophy, a Golden Spat uniform, and the Golden Spat title for 2001-2002.

"Our Restaurant employees are our most important assets, and our Golden Spat Contest gives us an opportunity to showcase and honor their exceptional performance," said Dennis Leifheit, chief operating officer of IHOP Corp. "The contest is also a fun-filled way of reinforcing training to help us better serve our guests and reward employees for their efforts."

Romero began as an IHOP dishwasher three-and-a-half years ago, but after just six months, Romero traded his dishwashing gloves for a chef's hat. "Making IHOP meals delicious and attractive is my number one responsibility," said Romero. "I studied hard and learned the proper skills and rules, plus I have fast hands!" This was the second time that Romero has participated in the Golden Spat contest.

For the Golden Spat championship, IHOP flew eight regional finalists to California to match their skills in areas such as quality, speed, accuracy, uniform standards, and customer satisfaction. They took a written examination to test their knowledge of menu items, general safety and sanitation guidelines. The highlight was a cook-off in which each chef prepared five IHOP dishes such as IHOP's Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity and the Country Omelette.

The IHOP family restaurant chain has been serving up a wide variety of mouthwatering selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner for more than 40 years. Offering more than 16 types of pancakes, omelettes and other breakfast specialties, as well as burgers, chicken and steaks, IHOP's diverse menu appeals to people of all ages. The restaurants are developed, operated and franchised by Glendale, Calif.-based IHOP Corp., which is publicly traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "IHP." As of June 30, 2001, the end of the company's second quarter, there were 965 IHOP restaurants in 41 states and Canada.