IHOP Closes Restaurant At Waterbury Mall After 15 Years

WATERBURY, CT — An IHOP restaurant located in the Brass Mill Center shopping mall recently closed for good after 15 years in business, the company confirmed to Patch.

In an email to Patch, an IHOP spokesperson confirmed Wednesday the popular pancake house chain's restaurant at 495 Union Street has permanently closed.

"We greatly appreciate our neighbors' patronage over the past 15 years and have loved being a part of this neighborhood," IHOP Franchisee Al Shaikh said in a statement sent to Patch.

While the company did not provide a specific reason for the Waterbury restaurant's closure, the spokesperson emphasized that closures are a part of the normal course of business in the restaurant industry, especially for a company of IHOP's size and footprint.

The company currently operates 11 IHOP restaurants in Connecticut with franchises in Bloomfield, Danbury, Enfield, Hamden, Manchester, Newington, Orange, Southington, Stamford, Wallingford and West Hartford.

IHOP also plans to open a new restaurant in Stratford at 2505 Main Street, the former home of the Ole Dog Tavern, despite some recent delays.

The first IHOP, previously known as the International House of Pancakes, opened in 1958 in Los Angeles.

A marketing campaign introduced the acronym "IHOP" in 1973 and since then, "it's been the name people know as the place they can enjoy their favorite breakfast experience – any time of day," according to its website.

In addition to its "world famous pancakes," IHOP offers a variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner items.

Earlier this year, Stacey Mendyka, general manager of Brass Mill owner Summit Properties USA, confirmed a new Altitude Trampoline Park location is planned to open on the mall's second level inside a portion of the former Macy's store next to an Ashley furniture store.

Last year, Apple Cinemas held the grand opening of a new 12-screen luxury cinema at the mall, offering customers a state-of-the-art moviegoing experience.