"Is it a marketing ploy or is it for real?" This is the question people have been asking since the news came out that International House of Pancakes, better known as "IHOP" would be changing its name at each of the 1,650 restaurants located in North America,  as well as in Bahrain, Canada, Dubai (UAE), Guatemala, Kuwait, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, The Philippines and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Founded in 1958, International House of Pancakes shortened their name to "IHOP" in 1973 and for the last 45 years, this is what the world has called the restaurant. So, it comes as no surprise that when the company announced on Twitter on Monday, June 4th that the restaurant would be going through yet another name change, fans of the restaurant were all a flutter.

In the Twitter post, the company revealed that the "P" would be replaced with a "B" which isn't sitting so well with die-hard pancake lovers. After all, IHOP is synonymous for the "P" in their name, pancakes.

For 60 pancakin’ years, we’ve been IHOP. Now, we’re flippin’ our name to IHOb. Find out what it could b on 6.11.18. #IHOb

The New York Post claims that a spokeswoman for IHOP has assured them that the name change is not a marketing ploy, that this is really happening.

Scott Olson/Getty Images
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Twitter user @gracehill29 is having none of it,

someone sue @IHOP for changing their name what kind of anarchy is this #IHOb

Twitter user @Danny_Munoz_6 woke up to all kinds of awful news,

So I wake up to the news of Liza and David’s breakup and to make matters worse IHOP is changing its name to IHOB ?????????? Who ever is doing this needs to stop.

And @idiotcatlady666 brought up a great (and hilarious) point,

when we are old we r going to be typing AMEN under Facebook posts asking us if we remember when ihob was ihop.

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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While the world waits for June 11th to find out what the "B" will stand for, IHOP is having all sorts of fun on Twitter by inviting people to guess whether they think the "B" stands for biscuits, bacon, butternut squash, or barnacles.

It's probably safe to say that the "B" doesn't stand for butternut squash or barnacles, but if it stands for bacon, that could be a game changer for the restaurant in a world obsessed with the delicious processed meat.

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