vent/question about IHOP food

so I went to IHOP with my dad this morning (which I really didn't want to do in the first place, but since I am leaving for college next week, I wanted to spend some time with him (side tangent - funny how spending time with people has to be done over food...) ) and I ordered an omelet with no cheese and only egg whites. It came back with swiss cheese and it was coated in oil. I wanted to cry. I ate around the cheese and tried to get some of the oil off but it didn't really work. Even the whole wheat toast had been coated in butter, so I ate the crust off of one piece. Why is there so much junk in IHOP's food? Why can't they just cook something healthy and/or get the order right when you ask for something? Now my stomach is incredibly upset because of all that oil ( I rarely eat foods with bad fats. I'm certain that the oil they used wasn't the EVOO I always cook with) and I'm uncertain as to how I should log my foods and how much fat I should eat for the rest of the day. Please help!

I would have sent that right back to the kitchen....but I'm crazy that way.:)

Maybe try to eat fresh fruit and veggie sticks today. I love lots of salad dressing on my salad, but whenever I add frozen peas I don't need as much because they are kind of sweet.  Just run some cool water over them to thaw them out if you want to give it a try. Make sure to also eat some protein today. Grilled chicken or fish would be good choices. Hope this helps a little.:)

You pretty much have to spell it out for places like that - please do not use any butter on that omelet/ with those eggs/ w/e

For the rest of the day, think of foods that settle your stomach - like mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes

think - easy to digest

I'd log a couple of teaspoons of butter with the eggs and another teaspoon (or pat if it has that qty) for each slice of toast you ate

I'm not one to complain, but when they get the order wrong, they should have to do it again!  I wouldn't have taken that omlette.

I hate when people are super picky at any sit down place and annoy the crap out of the waitress, but in your case there was no excuse for them screwing it up so bad.  I hope you will complain to the manager, who will contact you with a GC so next time you come in (if ever), they will do it right!

I feel awful for you, and your tummy!  Ginger tea and pepto bismol maybe?

Good luck and fun in college by the way, you'll have a blast!  :)

Don't be afraid to send stuff back.  I have specific foods that I can't/won't eat so I send stuff back all the time.  If you get super-pissed, sometimes you get your meal free.  Seriously, if you were allergic to dairy products and they brought out the omelet with swiss cheese, do you think it would be fair of anyone to expect you to eat it?

I don't see a difference.

I'm sorry about your experience with IHOP.  I actually used to love that place, but my views have changed now that I'm trying to be healthy.

I agree with Christin - I would have sent it back, telling them that's not what I ordered.  I hope you feel better.  :(

I can totally sympathise -it's so annoying when wait staff just don't listen. I can't count the number of times I've been dining out and said "I'm watching my weight so could I swap the fries for steamed veges?" and the waiter says "Sure!" and brings me steamed veg with butter melted over it!! I totally agree with others, you just have to spell it out, and also ask them to repeat your order back to you to be sure they've got it right. I would have sent it back, too.

My wifey and I have learned over the years that sometimes sucking it up and dealing at the time can be the best route.  I have always been afraid of sending things back to the kitchen.  I have heard too many stories of people sending stuff back and then getting ghonnorea from someone in the kitchen.  We have made it a practice of contacting the home office of corporations like this when we feel we have been cheated.  MOST of them will make it right somehow.  When a pizza took over 1 hour 30 min. to be delivered, pizza hut sent us two coups for free pizza and the local manager called to listen to my complaint and get more details.  My wifey bought a white tape from BIC, when it broke the first day, they sent her a whole box of replacements.  Be assertive, be honest, and demand action.  They will usually come through with an apology at the least. 

i love ihop.  it has always been my favorite breakfast spot, until i realized that banana chocolate chip pancakes smothered in syrup on a weekly basis was probably not a good idea. last time i went there though i ordered off a different menu than they give all their customers, you have to request it, i am not sure the exact name but it's a healthy version of all your favorites.  they give you the number of calories and grams of fat in all of the options.  So  I ended up ordering an egg beater omelet and two whole wheat pancakes with sugar free syrup!  it was just as good as anything else I would have had, and it didn't wreck my day!

i'd try that next time if i were you!

1) I too would NEVER send anything back -- too afraid of what they might do (though if you did get sick, I'm sure there would be an investigation and they would trace it back to the restaurant -- I'm still not taking any chances though -- I just would NOT be able to eat).

1a) I think it's a great idea to contact the corporate office -- send an email or whatever -- I too have done this -- I make complaints ... AND give compliements, when they are due! :)

1b) Personally, I don't find anything wrong with being picky at a restaurant -- the waittress only has to take the order -- the cook makes the food. I really don't see how hard that can be -- but I've never worked in a restaurant so I really have no clue what they go through.

2) ASIDE from just getting an order wrong, be aware that just because you order from the "healthy menu" does NOT mean they didn't still use butter/oil to cook the food OR coat the food. You still would need to say "no butter please." FOR EXAMPLE: Outback -- They roll EVERYTHING in butter -- you just have to ask them not to. Of course, I KNOW how it goes with getting things wrong -- restaurants NEVER seem to be able to get a modification right for some reason!

*** Try telling them you are DEATHLY ALLERGIC to whatever it is that you don't want in/on your food! I'm serious -- that way they may be more apt to get it right! :)

P.S. Grease/fat makes me feel icky too and I hate IHOP. It's the "fast food" of breakfast places.

Butter and cheese were the least of my problem when I went to an IHOP 2 years ago. I found a long, very long black wavy hair in mine. I've never been back there or any place that serves breakfast since. Makes my stomach churn just thinking about it!

I eat at IHOP every Monday night at a Toastmasters meeting and I suggest ordering from the special menu, which, last I heard, was called the IHOP for Me menu.  This contains low-fat, low-calorie and/or low carb versions of their food.  They have something called a Veggie Scramble which is eggbeaters and vegetables, and it's pretty good.  They also have a meal called Simply Chicken, which is a plain grilled chicken breast with a side of vegetables and a small side salad with low-cal Italian dressing.  All of this is pretty safe to eat.