American restaurant chain IHOP (International House of Pancakes) is reviewing its operations in India following a string of store closures. The brand, which entered the Indian market in 2017 through franchise agreements, has struggled to gain traction with its American breakfast offerings.
Recent closures include three outlets in Delhi-NCR, following the conclusion of its franchise agreement with Kwals Catering for North and South India in 2024. In the western and eastern regions, its Mumbai outlet, managed by Bedrock Foods, also shut down, leaving only one operational store in Pune.
Sameer Lamba, owner of Kwals Group, confirmed that the agreement for North and South India ended in May 2024. He cited business challenges post-Covid and low demand for breakfast dining as key reasons. “There were challenges during Covid, but we reopened. Even then, we did not see business picking up for the breakfast segment, so we decided to end the deal,” he stated.
Both Kwals Catering and Bedrock Foods had initially planned to open between 15 and 120 IHOP restaurants across India. However, with the closures, the prospect of appointing new franchise partners for these regions remains uncertain.
Manpreet Gulri, Managing Director of Bedrock Foods, acknowledged that the Mumbai closure was due to a reshuffle of tenants within the mall. However, he confirmed that the Pune IHOP store remains operational and hinted at a potential reopening in Mumbai once the mall expansion is complete. He did not disclose further details on IHOP’s future expansion in India.
