5 Bronx IHOP locations become first to serve Oxtail
The Fordham, Bruckner, Cross Bronx, Riverdale and Allerton locations, which all share ownership, have been advertising the option since December and watched it spread mainly through word of mouth.
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Five IHOP locations in the Bronx have become the first in the country to put oxtail on the menu.
The Fordham, Bruckner, Cross Bronx, Riverdale and Allerton locations, which all share ownership, have been advertising the option since December and watched it spread mainly through word of mouth.
Still, not everyone is convinced IHOP is the place to go for oxtail, with Fordham resident Maurice Harrison literally laughing out loud when he heard about it.
"It's IHOP - International House of Pancakes," he yelled. "Put things where they belong! You don't make an apple an orange, an orange is an orange! What are we doing, people?"
The idea originally came from Corey Lawrence, the head chef at those five locations, who was born in Jamaica but has lived in the U.S. for the last 30 years.
He tells News 12 he was looking for something to boost business, while also fitting in with the community.
"The biggest thing everyone wanted to know - it's got to be a Jamaican guy cooking the oxtail because IHOP doesn't know how to cook oxtail," Lawrence laughed. "Yes - it was a Jamaican guy, so it's seasoned properly."
So far, the oxtail omelet is the best seller, while they also offer it in tacos and quesadillas.
"We're basically playing off of what we do already," said Wilyanet Contreras, the marketing coordinator for the Bronx IHOPS. "Omelets are already our thing, pancakes are already our thing, we just added our little Bronx twist to it."
While some people in the area still had questions and said they would need a review from someone else before trying it, it seemed to be a hit with customers inside.
One customer trying it for the first time said he was "pleasantly surprised" with how good the omelet was.
"We have had customers that purchased one omelet, and then they turned around and took another one to go," said Lawrence, adding that they have even sold out of oxtail a few times. "A lot of people don't even know what oxtail is, but this is just a Bronx thing."
Cardi B even responded to an Instagram post about it on Thursday, writing, "I might have to make that trip."
"We wanted something that resonated in the community, and seeing authentic leaders within the community reaching out, being like 'Hey - we want to be a part of this' - means so much to us," said Contreras.
"Mission accomplished. That's all we can say," added Lawrence, who says unless they hear otherwise from corporate, they plan to make oxtail a permanent addition to the menu and eventually add more options.
