"My dad was a merchant marine who was gone 9-10 months out of the year, traveling the high seas, and going to distant lands. It was his job, and it was hard on all of us. My mom usually wasn't comfortable taking us children out to eat alone, but due to the family atmosphere, she always felt comfortable and safe taking us to the Buena Park, California, International House of Pancakes. In the summer of 1962, I was 8 years old. One day I received a letter from my dad telling us he was docked in Hawaii. I read the letter to Mom and she suggested we celebrate our letter with a visit to IHOP and get the Hawaiian pancakes. I remember thinking my dad was closer that day, so I asked my mother if we couldn't travel with dad with IHOP's international menu. That summer with every letter we received from my dad we dressed up in our Sunday best and went to IHOP. We tried every dish that matched his location.  And thanks to IHOP, we had a lot more fun that summer."

Grand Prize Winner:    Scott Reader, Maple Shade, New Jersey

Runners-Up:    Kevin Bunch, Irvine, CA  |  Deborah Forrest, Ocean Springs, MS
Joshua Snow Hansen, Cedar City, UT  |  Carol Mahoney, Kearns, UT  |   Jill Oviatt, Ann Arbor, MI