Beyond hotcakes.

Grilled cod with lemon hollandaise at the local IHOP?

Glendale-based IHOP Corp., which has long tried to draw customers after breakfast, is rolling out its first major new menu since its start in 1958.

The new menu, which still includes the usual array of pancakes, features 13 new items, including the aforementioned cod and a shrimp Caesar salad.

"This is the most ambitious and significant change we've seen in some time, the results of which will be illuminating in how far they've come in changing consumer perceptions," said Bryan Elliott, restaurant analyst for Raymond James & Associates.

The menu change is part of a larger effort by Chief Executive Julia Stewart, who has been looking to resurrect the chain through new ad campaigns, product promotions and even a change of the business model to a traditional restaurant franchisor.

IHOP ran aground in the 1990s because it focused on building more restaurants, which left little cash to reinvest. By switching to a franchisor model, the chain now has just 10 company-owned restaurants, down from 44 in 2003.

Even so, IHOP missed analysts' estimates due to disappointing same-store sales growth of just 0.6 percent in the first quarter--not enough to offset increases in general and administrative spending.

Since Stewart's arrival, the company has been focusing more on improving store-level operations and increasing the amount of data it's collecting from restaurants.

"They have spent a lot of time testing products, but the question is: Can they convince consumers they're a viable option for lunch and dinner, rather than just a place for pancakes?" Elliott said. "I'm cautiously optimistic they'll see some success."