Pennsylvania Man Orders IHOP Short Stack. Then He Claims The Pancakes Are Too Thin Now: ‘This One’s Practically See-Through’

A Pennsylvania man was shocked to see how thin his IHOP pancakes are. Viewers believe “shrinkflation” is to blame.

On July 8, Rafiq Flucas (qifarbackwards) recorded his IHOP experience in a TikTok that is currently going viral, with 1,700 views.

Flucas ordered a stack of pancakes. He was disappointed to see only two pancakes in the stack; it’s seems he ordered the “short stack,” which is supposed to come with three pancakes. In his video, he also expresses disappointment in the quality of pancakes, calling them nearly “see-through” and “worse-than-out-of-the-box-tasting pancakes.”

Why Are The IHOP Pancakes So Thin?

He says the “real problem” is that “they are so thin.” “This one’s practically see-through,” he says as he holds up a pancake for viewers to see.

The issues don’t stop at the thin pancakes.

“There’s nothing buttermilk about this,” he says. “I bit into it, and it tasted like baking soda.”

“I’m just disappointed,” he shares. “Like this is a short stack. I paid $8 for three very thin, … worse-than-out-of-the-box-tasting pancakes.”

Many of the comments blamed the phenomenon often referred to as “shrinkflation.” “$8 is wild when a box of pancake mix is $3 for 50 pancakes and syrup [is] $4,” wrote one.

What Is Shrinkflation?

Shrinkflation is a term used to describe when companies reduce the size, quantity, or value of a product without lowering its price by a comparable amount. Essentially, consumers end up paying the same for less. Economists generally distinguish shrinkflation from ordinary inflation because the sticker price may remain unchanged while the cost per ounce, serving, or item quietly increases.

The term is most commonly associated with packaged grocery products such as snack foods, cereal, ice cream, and household goods. However, consumers have increasingly used the term to describe restaurant portions that appear smaller than they remember.

However, it’s important to note that a single disappointing meal does not necessarily prove shrinkflation has occurred. Restaurants can vary in portion sizes because of differences in preparation, individual cooks, or franchise operations. In the case of Flucas’s IHOP pancakes, there is no public evidence that IHOP has officially reduced the standard thickness or recipe of its buttermilk pancakes nationwide.

That said, restaurant chains have faced many of the same economic pressures affecting grocery manufacturers over the past several years. Food ingredients, labor costs, rent, utilities, transportation, and insurance have all become more expensive. Rather than dramatically increasing menu prices, some businesses have opted to reduce portion sizes.

The phenomenon has become widespread enough that lawmakers introduced the Shrinkflation Prevention Act in Congress, which defines shrinkflation as reducing the amount or size of a consumer product without lowering its price by a comparable amount. Although the legislation has not become law, its introduction reflects growing concern that consumers are often unaware they’re receiving less value for the same money.

BroBible reached out for comment to Flucas via TikTok direct message and comment and to IHOP via email.