Area Breakfast Options Expand for SIUE Students with New IHOP Partnership

Area Breakfast Options Expand for SIUE Students with New IHOP Partnership

IHOP, the popular breakfast chain known for its pancake stacks and all-day breakfast menu, joins the Cougar community at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville by way of discount dining and free all-you-can eat pancakes for one year, recently claimed by some lucky SIUE winners.

SIUE students and staff can now enjoy exclusive savings at IHOP, which has reopened at 4233 South IL-159 in Glen Carbon after a two-year closure. As part of SIUE's student discount program, the popular breakfast spot is now offering 20% off dining with a valid SIUE ID.

IHOP not only joined the student discount program but also donated a voucher for all-you-can-eat pancakes for the year, to be given away to an SIUE student. This prize was awarded at Late Night Breakfast ahead of finals week, attended by more than 500 students. The lucky winner was selected randomly from students who scanned their IDs at the event, and this year, first-year psychology major Sasha Esparza walked away with the prize.

When asked about winning Esparza said, "I heard it on the intercom while eating breakfast with my friend upstairs. I was shocked, and so was my friend!" She added that she was "pretty excited" and plans to take advantage of the free pancakes "probably within this week." Esparza, who frequents IHOP with her best friends, noted that the prize was definitely going "to a good home."

With aspirations of becoming a therapist, criminal psychologist, or psychiatrist, Esparza expressed gratitude for the win during such a stressful time of the semester. "It was a really great surprise ahead of finals week," she shared.

Esparza was not the only SIUE student to win pancakes for a year. The IHOP grand opening was met with enthusiastic anticipation from the SIUE community, and some students took their excitement to the next level. Four SIUE students, Erika Gill, Myles Land, George Francis and Alex Childs camped outside the restaurant to ensure they were among the first customers. Their dedication paid off as each student also won free pancakes for a year, a prize given to the first 100 customers during the grand opening.

The partnership between SIUE and IHOP highlights how local businesses and SIUE can work together to enhance student experience. With a 20% discount for SIUE students and faculty, IHOP aims to become a go-to spot for great breakfasts and friendly savings. District Manager Melissa Jackson emphasized the importance of SIUE's contribution to the local economy, saying, "This discount is our way of thanking them for dining with us." She added, "We love serving SIUE's students and faculty-they've been very welcoming to us, as has the entire Glen Carbon community."

PHOTOS: Sasha Esparza, first-year psychology major, and Annie Crews, program coordinator, Traditions