IHOP + Angry Employees = Strange Breakfast Experience

This morning began with Adam fulfilling a promise to take me to IHOP before leaving on an all-weekend, cross-country. We arrived at the IHOP around 9:00A.M. enthusiastic at the prospect of drinking coffee and gorging on extravagantly sweetened stacks of pancakes. It was as we expected. Wonderful.

But as we sat sipping the last of our coffee and discussing Adam's design for a four-seat aircraft with hovering capabilities, a commotion arose from the direction of the kitchen. At first it sounded like the typical bustling and talking that you might hear in a restaurant - only slightly louder - so, I didn't pay it much attention. Soon, however, Adam was listening more intently. I stopped whatever I was jabbering about (most likely the intake system and probability of sufficient air flow... or not) and listened as well. The noise coming from the kitchen had escalated into an obviously heated argument with one woman's voice overpowering the others. She was screaming and ranting with other voices mingling loudly with hers. It grew so loud and obvious that everyone in IHOP was focused on the kitchen with some measure of interest or concern.

Our waitress came to our table, obviously embarrassed, and joked that "somebody" was going to get fired.

Faster than it arose, the commotion died down to a barely audible hum and the atmosphere went back to normal. I assume "somebody" was forced to leave through the back door.

Though IHOP has had its fair share of strange occurrences, this one topped the list of ones I have witnessed. I was just glad at that moment we had already received and eaten our food. I know its selfish to think of such trivial things under those circumstances, but I would have been suspicious of any food that was prepared in such an emotionally charged kitchen.

And that would have been sad, for I so love their strawberry cheesecake pancakes.