Ontario’s first dual Applebee’s/IHOP restaurant opening east of Toronto

Breakfast for dinner or vice-versa? Why not?

Ontario’s first dual-brand Applebee’s and IHOP location will hold its grand opening in Ajax July 28.

The combined space will offer diners the best of breakfast specialist IHop with the lunch and diner specials at Applebee’s under one roof at 155 Kingston Road.

Both restaurant chains are owned by Dine Brands Global, with the company hoping to have 80 Applebee’s/IHOPs open or under construction by the end of the year, with the performance of the first shared restaurants south of the border showing sales and profit margins up substantially.

Owned and operated by Sanjay Patel, the new dual-brand restaurant in Ajax marks IHOP’s arrival in Durham Region and the next chapter for the Applebee’s Ajax location.

The transformed space will be home to two of the world’s most popular restaurant brands – IHOP serving its buttermilk pancakes and handcrafted burgers, and Applebee’s offering fire-grilled steaks, salads and more.

The grand opening celebration will begin with a private media preview from 8 to 10 a.m., followed by a public ribbon-cutting ceremony when the doors officially open at 10. To mark the occasion, guests can look forward to signature pancake tower unveiling to mark IHOP’s arrival in Durham Region and there will be free pancakes for the first 100 guests, redeemable weekly for four consecutive weeks.

Patel is partnering with Feed The Need in Durham, the region’s largest food distribution network, to support food security across the community. The partnership includes a permanent in-restaurant donation program and a drop-in at Feed The Need in Durham’s facility, where the team will serve free pancakes to staff, volunteers, and members.

Giving back to Durham will remain a cornerstone of the restaurant’s approach in the community, he promised.

“We are excited to bring this first-of-its-kind dining experience to Ajax and the Durham community,” Patel said. “For our family, this is about bringing the community together, whether it’s over pancakes with the kids in the morning or riblets with friends in the evening. Partnering with Feed The Need in Durham to help address food insecurity in our community is what makes this opening truly meaningful for us.”

The new restaurant is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

For more information call (905) 638-0800 or visit www.ihop.ca.

Applebee’s has been in Ontario for decades while the first IHOP location in the GTA opened in Brampton in 2022.

The co-branded restaurants display both brands on the exterior and have a single shared entrance. Inside, the dining room is divided between Applebee’s- and IHOP-themed seating areas, though customers can order from either concept regardless of where they sit.