Internet Is Calling Lay’s New Flavor With IHOP a ‘Product Fail’

A new collaboration between Lay’s and IHOP has many people rolling their eyes.

Lay’s has teased fake flavors before, but snack lovers say this time is different.

In a Jan. 31 post on Instagram, Lay’s said its new potato chip flavor would be part of IHOP’s Rooty Tooty Fresh ’N Fruity series, which the breakfast food chain relaunched last year. Unlike previous fake flavor announcements, Lay’s urged fans to wonder if its new flavor would be real.

“Would you try this fake flavor, or… is it fake?” the brand’s post asked.

Some Instagram users who commented on the video wrote that they would “try any food at least once,” while others predicted they would “probably like it.” IHOP’s Instagram account then replied to the post, writing that the photo is “giving Rooty Tooty combo cutie.”

Snackolator, a fast food influencer that regularly previews new additions, commented on Lay’s Instagram post to ask, “Why do you toy with our emotions like this?!” Snackolator also hyped up the potential Lay’s-IHOP collaboration in a video on TikTok, assuring viewers that the partnership is “real” and “not a joke.”

“They teased it, they made it sound like it was a fake one,” the Snackolator TikTok said. “This is coming to stores late February. It is going to taste like strawberry-topped pancakes with syrup and bacon.”

People were less sure that the product would taste good in comments shared under Snackolator’s TikTok and Instagram posts, with one TikToker who claimed to be a Frito-Lay employee writing that they “already know these chips are gonna sit on shelves.” Meanwhile, an Instagram user wrote that they "smell a product failure if this becomes real.”

“I can tell it’s real due to the chips appearing more than just the normal color,” one Instagram user wrote. “Usually with the fake flavors it’s just basic chips on the package with minimal effort.” To their point, previous fake Lay’s flavors—such as July 2023’s Egg Salad tease or the fake Canned Cranberry Sauce chips of last November—have used images of traditional Lay’s chips on the phony product bag.

Some Instagram users responded simply to the potential new flavor, writing, “No Thanks!” and “To me, this combination doesn't make sense.”

But even if the flavor disgusts some chip and pancake lovers, others appear willing to give the combination a try.

“I am excited to try this!!! Sweet and savory,” one person wrote.

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