That's kind of my experience with IHOP. They opened one in my town, and people raved about it. We went. Meh. The service was poor and the pancakes were raw in the middle. (I don't mean undercooked - we're talking it was still PANCAKE BATTER in the center.) I put it down to the newness of the place. A year later we went again. Service was poor and the pancakes were raw in the middle. WTH? Another few years went by, and my daughter dragged us there for lunch. Guess what? Service was poor, and the pancakes were raw in the middle.
I'm done. I won't be going back.
Dave