STT Is Getting An IHOP!

well. so it truly is an international house huh?

If they move as fast as the Office Max on STX is -- well, I wouldn't worry about pancakes any time soon. LOL.

I'm moving back to the Virgin Islands (STT) after living in New York for 5 years. Coming back to an IHOP will be great!! All that’s missing now is a Starbucks, Red Lobster, Apple Bees, Ruby Tuesdays, Olive Gardens... just to name a few. 🙂

Just my humble two cents but as soon as I first heard about this my mind went to the latest national advertising campaign for IHOP which shows a breakfast dish of a monumental pile of cream and sugar-loaded fruit goop-filled fried waffly things smothered with whipped cream and syrup.

With an extraordinarily high percentage of the local population suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, this is exactly what's needed...

Cheers.

LOL, I loved that last message!!

IHOP would be great, I could think of some better restaurants or shops the Island needs but at least there will be somewhere to eat breakfast and not have to worry about the Iguanas trying to bite your feet (yes that happened to me at Molly's).

Although the restaurants they have brought from the states, McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut are not the same. I'm not one for fast food unless it's Taco Bell, but the food taste different and you don't have all the options.

Anyone know why they won't bring Walmart down here?? And how come when you go to Kmart half of the shelves are empty?

STT Res--

Great minds think alike (haha), that was my first thought too.

More sweets we do not need.

I would even be willing to accept the presence of a Walmart if they brought down their organic goodies.

Oh well, I guess the people have spoken...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks an IHOP is not a particularly good thing.

When Walmart expressed an interest in coming here the VI government discouraged them.

The empty shelf problem is a problem of island living and not unique to K-Mart.

Well, I, for one, am looking forward to it! I used to have one down the street from where I lived in Newport, Rhode Island and I went there at least twice a week! Yay!

I am a push over for their potato pancake, one of my guilty pleasures. But I'm not holding my breath. And besides, you get all those franchise restaurants down here and you'll forget where you are!!

STTRes, I'm sorry I would have replied earlier to your comments on the unhealthy IHOP food victimizing the USVI population but I was busy eating a johnnycake.

:p

I would cry the day USVI got a Walmart.

I'd probably cry too.

Cry tears of joy that I had someplace else to shop besides K-Mart.

Big question is will the IHOP serve SaltFish??

Oh well - the americanization of the USVI! Everyone take a shot of insulin - obesity is upon you!

IHOP doesn't cause obesity... bad eating habits do... just like bars don’t cause alcoholism... bad drinking habits do.

so YAY for one more option that should be used in moderation 🙂

Another two cent'er: When I drive by the franchised fast food restaurants, which are already pretty well established on STX, I feel like I might as well be living in inner city New York or New Haven again. I am glad that yes, it will bring jobs and another option for food, but somehow it would seem more prudent for the islands to promote an islander owned pancake shop that fit a bit better with the islands.

When we reach a point where except for a palm tree and the beach, you can't tell that you are on an island, it will be a sad day indeed. I personally feel (and I am not speaking for anyone else) that island living does come with challenges. If we wanted all of the conveniences of Denver, CO, then why don't we just live there?

Sorry to be so negative about this, but each time a franchise opens its doors on one of the islands, I am afraid that the door will stay open and we will begin to look like the Post Road (on the Eastern seaboard of the US mainland). Fast, full, frenzied and shop 'til you drop. Hmmm.

I hope this is not offensive to anyone, as I see both the good and the bad, however for me how the balance falls is clear.

Sincerely,

Dan

Ok....so some of you don't like it.....To %&* bad......
The reason the islands are so screwed up is because nobody can get past the corrupt bureaucracy that strangles the islands. We need outside investment to help grow the economy here and get some of the fat trimmed from the government payroll.
With outside investment comes some accountability to larger taxpayers and possibly some oversight from Washington that will help to put an end to the horrible corruption on the islands.
As far as Wal-mart.....who could possibly want lower prices and fully stocked shelves.....thats just insane!!!!

OMG! I just love the Blueberry pancakes with whipped cream and tons of butter!!!! Making my mouth water!!!!

My .02

Re: IHOP

A chain restaurant going into a mall that is mostly comprised of chain stores -- so what's the harm? I personally don't care much for IHOP and I LOVE the varied and interesting food scene on STT. But if some people enjoy IHOP, and considering its location, I have no objection to it.

Re Walmart:

I am against it. I want Target!

I totally agree with Dan. Why does everyone want that kind of food on the islands? Starbucks is a pretty bad coffee unless you cover it up with something. It is known in the coffee industry that they roast their beans way to much to the point of burning them. There is far better coffee out there and for much less. I go to local family restaurants here which often have a bring your own bottle policy. I never had a bad meal yet. They just opened an Applebee here. We got a gift certificate from a friend. Boy it was the worst food I have tasted for years. Enjoy what you can treasure locally. I have jet to find a bread fruit around here. Give it a shot and your tastes might come back to what food really should taste like without all that chemical flavoring.

Iris

jayfh,

A USVI Wal-Mart would not have fully stocked shelves; Wal-Mart would have the same stocking problems every other island business has.

Dan,

Chain stores do indeed alter the character of a place but the franchises are generally owned by island residents.

mell,

I do not have a fondness for IHOP but I too think it's fine where it's going.

That is incorrect, the reason K-Mart has the problems they have is they have a very poor distribution process.
Wal-Mart has the most efficient distribution system in the world, if you travel around the world and see the Wal-marts there.....completely stocked shelves, while other large chains look like Soviet era super markets with bare shelves.....its the same with Costco and all other American chains with massive distribution centers.....also they do what has to be done to get their goods through customs....sometimes it may involve assigning a whole team of import specialists to one store....but the red tape is quickly pushed aside when you apply the resources necessary. Think about it....you don't become number one in the world by having empty shelves.
One example of Wal-marts efficiency.....small though it may be......When a hurricane is en route to a particular area, a computer orders particular items that are most needed during such disasters......nobody has to go get some mid level manager to approve it.......It just happens, and the products are en route to the location usually the same day. Just something to think about next time a storm is heading east.

I mean west :O)

jayfh,

In the states, once a store's computer communicates with a distribution center the goods are shipped by truck. Within the U.S. trucks can get anywhere in a couple of days. In the islands we get deliveries once a week and frequently items stores have ordered are backed up at the port in FL for several weeks. Then you have to factor in travel time and customs and duty delays, so if there were a Wal-Mart here and they did order something from the states using their state-of-the-art ordering system, it would frequently take month than a month to get that item. Hawaii doesn't have the same problem because there are so many people on those islands that it is cost-effective for stores like Costco and Wal-Mart to have a distribution center there.