We take rumors on Twitter with a grain of salt, but this one seems to have staying power. My Table first voiced the rumors online that 59 Diner is being sold to IHOP. Could the local Houston chain, which started in 1987 and now has six locations in the metropolitan area, be heading for corporate chain ubiquity?
According to 59 Diner employees CultureMap spoke to, the rumors are not true. But we've heard multiple second-hand reports of employees confirming the entire 59 Diner chain has been sold, and that they are waiting to find out whether that means the locations will be converted to IHOPs or remain as the current concepts. Calls to the 59 Diner corporate office were not returned.
However reps for IHOP parent company DineEquity tell a different story. Patrick Lenow, the executive director of communication for DineEquity, says that there is no sale completed or pending, and that our question was the first he had heard of it. Lenow emphasized that since IHOP is a franchise brand, it wouldn't make sense to purchase additional locations.
Frankly, we don't know what to think. Who do you believe? Would you miss 59 Diners if they became IHOP?
