filed under Food | Get Out of the House | Nightlife
Late Night Breakfast Update: New IHOP to transform Providence; Bickford’s “evolves” into Friendly’s with booze
1:10AM ON
02/13/2008
BY
Ari Savitzky
Does Louie’s 5 am opening time not work with your schedule? Not in the mood for Haven Brothers? Not feeling the “new” Bickford’s Grille? In what for you will no doubt be a shift in the very nature of reality, a 24-hour IHOP is opening in our fair city.
It’s nestled betwixt Federal and Smith hills, between Valley and Promenade on Pleasant Valley Parkway, an extension of Dean street. Right across the street from Coca-Cola’s local HQ!
More on the new Bickford’s after the jump.
For those readers who don’t know about Bickford’s, it was for a long time one of the only reliable 24 hour restaurants in New England. Time was a rowdy bunch of 17 year olds would have to hazard a trip to Warwick or Seekonk for pancakes and poor lighting at 4 am. But while the stunning new IHOP-related developments may change the playing field, it seems Bickford’s, sadly, has outgrown the role anyway.
Peep this from their website:
“Emerging?” “Concept?” This strikes me as a Dunder Mifflin Infinity style refit, and not in a funny way. What of the venerated History of Bickford’s:
Bickford’s history dates back to the 1920’s, when Samuel Bickford opened his first Bickford’s cafeteria. Throughout the next 40 years, Sam, and eventually his son, Harold, worked to expand their cafeteria chain throughout the Northeast and into California. However, it was not until 1959 that Harold introduced a new concept to New England, the first Bickford’s Pancake House - the first such specialty restaurant in New England which opened in Peabody, Massachusetts in October, 1959. The concept was a huge success.
Over the next three decades, Bickford’s Pancake House chain slowly grew to include 30 restaurants throughout New England and became a family restaurant that focused on breakfast, along with lunch and dinner offerings. Within the early to mid - 90’s, the number grew to almost 70 and it continued to be known as a great New England breakfast tradition. As an expansion to the menu, fresh turkey, roasted daily in the restaurants, was used for Turkey Club, Hot Turkey Sandwich and a traditional Turkey Dinner. [Old People love club membershipz and Turkeyz]
Recently, the Bickford’s chain has evolved and just like with the fresh turkey, other menu items were upgraded for overall improved lunch and dinner selections…
In spite of Bickford’s putting the emphasis on its quality of food [why is this "In spite" of the emphasis on quality], the public continued to fill the restaurants more at breakfast time than for lunch and dinner. To keep the breakfast customers satisfied while encouraging more business at lunch and dinner hours, in 2003, Bickford’s made a commitment to upgrade restaurant cosmetics, create new signs, apply for beer and wine licenses, change uniforms and improve service. At this point, Woburn, Sharon, Brockton, Burlington, Framingham, Auburn, and Seekonk, Massachusetts, plus Salem and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, have progressed into this new and improved Bickford’s, renamed Bickford’s Grille.
It sounds like the Warwick and North Providence locations will remain pancake houses, for now. Perhaps the remake won’t come into effect here in RI, as competing with IHOP isn’t nearly as bad as direct competition with Chelo’s.
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20 Comments on “ Late Night Breakfast Update: New IHOP to transform Providence; Bickford’s “evolves” into Friendly’s with booze ”
February 13th, 2008 at 1:49AM
Eric Smith Says:
I’ve been to the new IHOP twice now, terrible both times. Service is awful, like beyond description. The food was meh at best, when they got the orders right, which has been never, so far. I say give them time, it can only get better. I has to get better. I like pancakes.
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February 13th, 2008 at 8:39AM
Marisol Says:
My roommates and I tried to go to the new IHOP for brunch this weekend, and it was at least an hour wait! Such a dissapointment. I grew up in the land of 24 hour IHOPs and Dennys and Waffle Houses, and I have been dreaming of this for Providence for a long time. I just want a place where I can study and drink junk coffee for hours, as long as I leave the waitress a good tip. Let’s hope things improve for this new pancake house.
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February 13th, 2008 at 9:20AM
Desiree Says:
i went this weekend too, and it was horrible. we waited an hour while blatantly staring at 3 or 4 open tables at any given time, only to be seated at one of those very tables when we finally pointed it out that it was OPEN. the waitress was on some kind of drugs. the order was messed up and my blueberry pancakes were nasty-soggy. down with the HOP!
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February 13th, 2008 at 9:23AM
S of S&M Says:
I too have been through the hell which is Providence Ihop. I’ll spare you all the rant on Jersey Diners, Taylor Ham, Scrapple, and 45-year-old waitresses named Karen–who even with having spent each day of the last 30 years in that diner still smell more like Pariliment Lights than bacon upon aproaching your table. uh-mazing.
Ihop had none of these things. Everything on the late night menu (which is BS on its own…) is like 12 bucks and you can’t even sub hashbrowns for pancakes as my date (or maybe it was just M…) tried to do. Fuckers.
Oh, and the last thing i want to see when rolling up shitfaced at 3 am is a bunch of COPS manning the door. I felt like i was trying to get into club Ultra for some frat boys 21st b-day party. Bad scene. If your looking for me, i’ll be at Wes’s Ribhouse.
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February 13th, 2008 at 10:34AM
Jef Nickerson Says:
My boyfriend makes the bestest chocolate chip pancakes, and I get to eat them while sitting on the couch in my underwear watching silly HGTV shows. Suck it ISLOP!
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February 13th, 2008 at 11:36AM
brit Says:
i’ve been to the ihop about four times and have had both good and bad experiences. the first time was the second night they were opened at 1am and got my food within 20 minutes. the next time was a couple of days later and i waited almost an hour. we keep going back because basically, it’s not that serious. i’m not looking for a five star restaurant experience. i just want some pancakes, hash browns, and bacon as quickly as they can get it to me. if i’m at an ihop at one in the morning, i clearly am not in a rush to go anywhere or do anything important. that doesn’t mean that it’s ok to keep someone waiting for an hour for a short stack and some eggs. to me it means that they are having an off night and it’ll get better. we have to remember that they just opened a couple of weeks ago. just because ihops have been around for years doesn’t mean that these particular people have a clue what they are doing. they have to get into the groove of things like anyone else that just opened a 24 hour business.
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February 13th, 2008 at 1:07PM
M of S&M Says:
Yes, my experience was lacking (Why? Why can’t you have crepes on the “Late Night Menu” dear IHOP?)….but, I’ve found some substitutes…Like S said, there is Wes’s Ribhouse…I mean, who doesn’t want to drunkly naw on ribs at 3 am? Also, the Sea plane dinner on Allens Ave is now open really late (I think past 3) …and another place down the street called “ENO” I think…Open late & cheap (both diner esque establishments) — BUT, if I really want to go all out — I’ll take the trip down to Denn’ys in Warwick so that everything on my plate can be covered and smoothered foreva.
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February 13th, 2008 at 1:52PM
Ari Says:
The Seaplane is classic, but not open so late Sunday-Thursday.
Does Denny’s do smothered and covered? I thought that was a Waffle House thing. Also, what’s up with Warwick monopolizing the 24-hour pancake house/ diner scene?
SO much promise in 24 dining, yet, still, so little. Last time I went to IHop I had a burger, which was not an excellent decision. Maybe I’ll wait the new PVD spot out a week or two more before testing the syrupy waters.
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February 13th, 2008 at 2:06PM
David Brussat Says:
My wife and I have been to the new IHOP three times, four times if you count the time it was crowded at noon and we returned later. Each time the service has been excellent and the food delicious, for what it is. Two of three times they have failed to carry out my request to have my crepes stacked instead of folded, but that’s okay. I unfolded them myself. They tasted the same. We love IHOP and are glad it’s here. We are not likely to wander in at 3 a.m. - but if it is true that they don’t have crepes on the late menu, that’s not good. That is what I go there for (crepes like my mother used to make).
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February 13th, 2008 at 4:14PM
M of S&M Says:
Denny’s covers and smothers. It rules. I’ve never had it anywhere else. What the hell is a waffle house anyways? A burger at IHOP? Dude, its all about those pancakes….
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February 13th, 2008 at 5:55PM
matthew lawrence Says:
betty’s, people. the answer is betty’s. charles street and mineral spring isn’t all that much farther than dean/pleasant valley/oakland/whatever that street happens to be called on that block, and it’s sooooooooooo very good. and the people are so nice and helpful and friendly.
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February 14th, 2008 at 10:33AM
J. Louise Says:
I’ve been working at IHOP, just a lowly student acting as a lowly waitress, to make some money for school. Not only is it, at the moment, an awful place to eat, it is also a terrible place to work. In fact, it is the worst restaurant I have ever worked for. It is true that no one knows what they’re doing largely due to training that was completely ineffective. Problems abound with every section of the restaurant, and it’s rendered nearly impossible for servers to do their job (if even they know how to do it). I would say give it a few more weeks (or months), but at the rate it’s going I wouldn’t be surprised if it went the way of all the other ill-fated northern Rhode Island IHOPs—out of business.
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February 20th, 2008 at 1:32PM
Dan Says:
Waffle House is a big breakfast restaurant chain in the southeast US. I don’t know what their deal is exactly, but when I went to one in Charlotte in January after a night of drinking with a craving for some pancakes and put in my order the girl behind the counter said “we don’t do pancakes at Waffle House!” I believe that’s all anyone needs to know about them…
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February 26th, 2008 at 5:02PM
Henry Jeter Says:
I have been to I-Hop on a few occassions now. I can honestly say the service has not been that great. The first time it was perfect. I was seated quickly and the food arrived quickly. The second time I went it was bad. The third time great and the fourth and fifth bad as well. The food is the best. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. The problem is the service on peak days. Sunday mornings are horrible. Long wait because of a extremely large crowd. I think they need to work on providing better service on their peak days.
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February 27th, 2008 at 4:22PM
chiz Says:
why oh why oh why would you go to a nasty chain restaurant like ihop when there are plenty of great mom and pop places to dine? esp in providence! there are so many better breakfast places out there!
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February 27th, 2008 at 4:58PM
Eric Smith Says:
At 3 am? Dude, mom and pop are in bed by then and this giddy drunken stupor is fading fast. IHOP is all we got.
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February 28th, 2008 at 1:05AM
chiz Says:
i was referring to the non-hungover clientele of ihop, i.e the ones who go there for brunch. but at 3am, maybe you can make yourself a nice omelette? or perhaps stock up on frozen dinners?
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February 28th, 2008 at 9:50AM
Matthew Lawrence Says:
i soberly went there at about midnight last weekend and promptly wanted to die. the service was okay, but everybody there was like 17, which is fine but not necessarily where i want to hang out. the eggs were actually pretty good, but it was more the overly yellow decor and tackiness of it all. seriously, why does an omelette need to come with a side of three pancakes?
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February 28th, 2008 at 9:51AM
Matthew Lawrence Says:
also, betty’s is open at 3. so it harriet’s, i think, if you can make it to cranston. i can’t remember if the seaplane’s open then, but i feel like it is, too.
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March 10th, 2008 at 6:21PM
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