Ihop - Hayward

I had a fantastic experience! I arrived just in time to beat the evening dinner rush by going between 4 and 5 PM, and I took advantage of their IHOP HOPPY HOUR, which runs Monday through Friday from 3 to 8 PM. This was my first time trying it, and it did not disappoint—only $6 for a delicious meal, you can't go wrong! I ordered breakfast and added a side of pancakes, and it really hit the spot! My waitress was wonderful, too.

My waiter, Claudio, started off well, but when I politely asked for warm syrup, it took over 10 minutes to receive it. During that time, Claudio rushed past me several times, failing to make eye contact and pretending he couldn't hear me calling his name until I had to nearly shout to get his attention. It was absolutely ridiculous. I will not be returning to this location. This experience was enough for me to decide to take my business elsewhere. Normally, I am a generous tipper, but after the subpar service and an extra charge on my bill, I felt that tipping was unnecessary—definitely not how I prefer to treat my servers! What I want is a breakfast spot where I feel welcomed and can enjoy good food at reasonable prices.

This review focuses on customer service. I called to order breakfast and I understand they are quite busy, but proper phone etiquette dictates that when answering a call, you should greet the caller instead of slamming the phone down and not picking it back up! I was on hold for 18 minutes and counting, while the phone next to me kept ringing! I've had enough. After waiting for 27 minutes, I decided to hang up because I could only see things getting worse from here.

Fantastic food at a great price! Parking can be a bit challenging, so it's best to arrive early on weekends to avoid waiting.

Even though I had $20 in credit on Uber Eats, I decided it was worth it to switch to Grubhub to get the syrup, even if that meant losing the credit. I ended up ordering my breakfast along with two additional meals for my staff, totaling over $80 (a bit pricey, but typical once all the fees are added). It was definitely worth it for that STRAWBERRY SYRUP! After receiving my order, I called the restaurant to thank Christina; however, the one thing I was absolutely craving was missing—the strawberry syrup! I was really disappointed to spend so much money and not get the one item I wanted. I wasn't overreacting, so I called the restaurant again, and once again spoke to Christina. I expected maybe a refund or having to run to another store for syrup. But you won’t believe what this wonderful woman did—she had STRAWBERRY SYRUP in her car! At first, I thought she was joking, but she was serious! I’ve never seen anyone go so far to please a customer. I’m now committed to ordering from this place, even though it’s the furthest from me. When she arrived at my workplace, she was so sweet and even promised me more syrup next time. I can't thank you enough, Christina, for being so thoughtful and wonderful! P.S. The food was AMAZING! We usually go to another restaurant for breakfast, but now it’s only IHOP on Foothill for us. Everything was cooked perfectly and tasted delicious—better than any other places we’ve tried. I hope the owners read this and give Christina a raise and some recognition because she truly deserves it!