National Pancake Day at IHOP: How to Get Free Pancakes

Who goes to Santa Monica and makes a Guinness World Record pancake event part of the trip? We do! In March 2025, IHOP National Pancake Day came to the Santa Monica Pier as a world record attempt and Cream and I were there right when it opened.

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It was our first National Pancake Day ever. It was so silly in the most fun way. It's so us to do this!

Most years the deal is simpler. You sit down at a participating IHOP on one Tuesday in early March and get a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes.

When Is IHOP National Pancake Day 2027? My Quick Answer

• When: Tuesday, March 2, 2027. In 2026, IHOP made the first Tuesday of March its yearly National Pancake Day.¹
• What you get: one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes per guest.
• Where: participating IHOP restaurants across the US, dine-in only.²
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time in 2026.
• Cost: no purchase needed. Tax and tip aren't covered, and IHOP asks for a charity donation if you can give one.

If you're coming to Santa Monica for it, I'd stay by the pier, and these are our three picks.

How to Get Free Pancakes at IHOP on National Pancake Day

Getting yours is pretty simple. I'd check these five things first.

1. Check that your IHOP is taking part. The deal runs at participating restaurants, so look up your local IHOP's page or call before you go.
2. Sit down. The free short stack is dine-in only, so takeout and delivery orders don't count.
3. Order your free short stack. It's one per guest. Anything else you add, like coffee or eggs, is the normal price.
4. Tip your server. Tax and gratuity aren't included. In the US it's normal to tip 15 to 20% of what the meal would cost, so tip on the pancakes too.
5. Donate if you can. In 2026, IHOP's partner was Feeding America, which says every $1 donated can provide up to 10 meals for people facing hunger.

Is There a Catch?

Not really! You eat in and get one stack each. Tax and tip are on you.

Arriving early worked really well for us at the pier, and we had no wait at all.

Our First National Pancake Day: IHOP's World Record on the Santa Monica Pier

It just happened to be on while we were living in Santa Monica that month!

On Saturday, March 1, 2025, IHOP took over the Santa Monica Pier for "20K for Pancake Day." IHOP wanted to serve 20,000 pancakes in eight hours. It was the 20th anniversary of National Pancake Day. For every pancake served, IHOP gave $1 to Feeding America for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.⁴

What It Was Like

We got there right when it opened at 9 a.m. There was no wait! Pancakes were the only thing on the menu and they were free, and we ate them at the tables set up on the pier. I think we had one or two rounds!

Everything was pancake themed! A giant inflatable pancake stack stood next to the blue banners, and even the seats we sat on were shaped like pancakes. It wasn't super busy while we were there and the vibes were so funny.

I'm laughing just thinking about it.

Did IHOP Break the World Record?

Yes, and by a lot! IHOP served 25,629 pancakes that day.⁵ At a dollar a pancake, that meant $25,629 for the LA food bank! IHOP beat its own goal of 20,000 and set the Guinness World Records title for the most pancakes served in eight hours.

Calgary Stampede in Canada set the old record in 2023.⁶ It had served more than 17,000 pancakes in eight hours.

Will IHOP Bring Pancake Day Back to the Santa Monica Pier?

Nobody knows yet. That pier event was IHOP's big 20th anniversary party.

In 2026 IHOP's LA event moved to its Hollywood restaurant on Sunset Boulevard for a meet-up with the musician Mr. Fantasy. IHOP announced its plans in late February both years, and I'd watch for news a week or two before the day this time too.

If a pier event comes back and you're planning a trip around it, I'd stay close enough to walk over at opening, and our three picks above are all by the pier. I'd pack for Los Angeles in March too, because mornings by the ocean are cool and the afternoons get warm.

One thing has changed. Santa Monica Pier's neon entrance sign was taken down to be restored on October 20, 2026. It's due back in late 2027, and the pier itself is open.⁷

Where to Get Free Pancakes Near Santa Monica

If you're in Santa Monica on the day I'd plan a short drive, because there's no IHOP in the city itself and the closest ones are a few miles from the pier.

These are the three closest:

• IHOP Lincoln Blvd, 4070 Lincoln Blvd, Marina del Rey. The closest to the pier.
• IHOP 2912 S Sepulveda Blvd, West Los Angeles. Listed as open 24 hours, though the free stack still runs only during National Pancake Day hours.
• IHOP Culver City, 3905 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City.

We got around without a car that month, but most visitors to LA rent one and if you'll be driving too I'd book a rental car at LAX ahead of time.

National Pancake Day vs Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday)

I'd clear this one up first, because they're two different days!

Pancake Day in the UK and Ireland is Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent starts, and it's the same day in Canada and Australia. In 2027 it's Tuesday, February 9. IHOP's National Pancake Day is its own US event on the first Tuesday of March.

It's a bit controversial! In 2026 the pancake mix brand Krusteaz said IHOP had the wrong day and stuck with Shrove Tuesday.¹ If you're visiting the US from a country that celebrates Shrove Tuesday, you get two pancake days!

IHOP Started in Los Angeles

Our pier morning was kind of a hometown party, because IHOP is an LA original.

The first International House of Pancakes opened in 1958 on Riverside Drive in Toluca Lake, in the San Fernando Valley. National Pancake Day only started in 2006. IHOP's free pancake days have raised nearly $30 million for charity since then.²

Is IHOP National Pancake Day Worth It?

I give our pier morning a 10/10. It was one of the silliest things we did in our whole month in Santa Monica, and one of the most fun. Free pancakes and pancake chairs on the pier is about as LA as a Saturday morning gets.

Once you've had your fill, there's lots more on our list of things to do in Santa Monica.

If you ever get an opportunity to do something like this, you have to! Take a picture with the inflatable and sit on the pancake chairs.

Just pancake out!

Next Steps for Your Santa Monica Trip

• Santa Monica Pier: what to do, eat, and when to go
• Things to do in Santa Monica
• Los Angeles in March: weather, what to wear, and what's on