IHOP Corp. said same-store sales increased 4.5 percent for the quarter ended Sept. 30 and 2.1 percent for the nine months ended in September. Company officials attributed the strong sales results to Funnel Cake Carnival, a limited time promotion that ran during July and August, and to the French Toast Festival, which began in September. “Both promotions effectively leveraged IHOP’s core brand equities around breakfast, and offered strong consumer appeal that motivated guests to visit IHOP restaurants,” said Julia A. Stewart, IHOP’s president and chief executive officer in a statement. The company also said that guest traffic trends returned to positive levels in the third quarter of 2005, versus the first half of the year when guest traffic levels were down from the prior period. IHOP, a family restaurant chain based in Glendale, will release its full third quarter financial results on Oct. 27.
