The newest IHOP kitchen will be open only for takeout and delivery, the restaurant chain announced Thursday.
As part of its partnership with Ghost Kitchens Brand, the first IHOP “virtual location” will feature order-ahead service and in-store kiosks allowing customers to pick favorites from IHOP and other popular restaurants and brands.
Dine Brands Global Inc., the Glendale-based parent company of IHOP, debuted the virtual location in Toronto’s Liberty Village area. Known for its network of virtual kitchens, Ghost Kitchens Brand locations feature items from more than 20 restaurants, such as Quiznos and Cinnabon, as well as consumer packaged goods such as Red Bull and Ben and Jerry’s. Guests are able to mix-and-match their single-transaction orders with favorites from different restaurant concepts and brands, as all the food is prepared at the same location.
Dine Brands Chief Executive John Peyton told investors in May that the restaurant giant, with subsidiaries including Applebee’s and IHOP, is “all in” on ghost kitchens and virtual brands going forward.
“With off-premise sales nearly doubling since the start of the pandemic, it’s evident that guests have become accustomed to the ease of digital ordering and continue to seek convenient options for enjoying their favorite meals outside of the four walls,” Tony Moralejo, president of  international and global development for Dine Brands, said in a statement announcing the Toronto virtual location.
Shares of Dine Brands Global (DIN) closed down $4.34, or 5.2 percent, at $79.60 on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, a day when the Dow Jones industrial average closed down nearly 1 percent.