IHOP opens in North Indio, Yogurtland and more coming soon

A new IHOP opened its doors on Jackson Street in north Indio Wednesday and people packed the International House of Pancakes as families hopped right in to enjoy some breakfast.

The city said it hired a retail strategist to find out what people want in Indio. Sitdown chain restaurants, such as IHOP, topped the list.
Coming soon is an Applebee’s, which will break ground this summer, according to Mariano Aguirre, the city director of economic development.

“Right now Indio is on fire. We have hundreds of thousands of square feet under construction,” said Aguirre.

A Waba Grill teriyaki house and Yogurtland will open in the Winco shopping center in the fall. The new Super Walmart will open Oct. 8 on Ave. 42.

Sophia Lemus said IHOP is her favorite restaurant for breakfast and she’s happy it’s now so close to her home.

“I was lucky they opened one here in Indio so I don’t have to go all of the way over (to La Quinta),” said Sophia.

“This city hasn’t had a lot breakfast options available to them,” said Jennifer Seger, director of human resources for IHOP restaurants. “We’ve looked at it for a few years. We were just looking for the right location. There are a lot of people who live here who deserve a place that has good food and good service.”

The new businesses will create more choices to shop and dine and create more jobs to the city.

Walmart alone will hire 300 people. IHOP hired 130 people.

“We want to make sure we’re helping economy and the local community,” said Steger.