Denny’s Restaurant (photo credit: wikipedia.com)
What began as a simple little donut shop grew quickly for Harold Butler and Rich Jezak. The two men opened Danny’s Donuts in 1953 to focus on good coffee, good donuts, and a clean restaurant. The store did very well and began to grow quickly. To avoid confusion with another local establishment called Coffee Dan’s so they circled the wagon and changed it to Denny’s after six years. Today they are over 1,600 locations in the U.S.
General Restaurant Information
Food Type: Family Style
Restaurant Type: Family Dining
U.S. Locations: 1,610
States: 50 states, Denny’s Locations
Company Slogan: Welcome to America’s diner
Contact Information
Questions: Contact Information
Phone number: 800-733-6697
Email: Contact Form Only
Blog: Denny’s Blog
FAQ Page: No
Ownership
Who Owns Denny’s? Denny’s Corporation
Headquartered: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Contact Information:
Website: dennys.com
Email/contact page: Contact Information
Phone: 800-733-6697
Address: 203 East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29319
Do They Franchise? Franchise Information
What Is It Like To Work At Denny’s?
3.6/5 or 72%; 5,300 Reviews (indeed.com)
3.1/5, or 62%; 1,100 Reviews (glassdoor.com)
What to expect when working at Denny’s (job-applications.com)
The Original Denny’s (Danny’s Donuts) Restaurant (photo credit: kcet.org)
The History of Denny’s
Original Location: 11605 Carson Street, Lakewood, California
Founded: 1953 (as Danny’s Donuts)
Founded By: Harold Butler (and Richard Jezak)
Biography Articles:
Harold Butler (wikipedia.org)
Harold Butler (nndb.org)
Entrepreneurial Saints – Harold Butler (entrepreneurialsaints.blogspot.com)
Founder Obituary: July 9, 1998; age 77
Obituaries:
Harold Butler Obituary (latimes.com)
Find a Grave – Harold Butler (findagrave.com)
Founder of Denny’s Restaurants Dies (apnews.com)
Name Origin: The was originally Danny’s Donuts (the name “Danny” sounded good with donuts) but as the restaurant grew from more than a donut shop, the owners changed the name so not to be confused with Coffee Dan’s. (source)
History Page: Company History Page
Current View of Original Location: 11605 Carson Street as it is today (link may not work on mobile devices without Google Maps)
Historical Articles:
A Brief History (dennys.com)
They Started as a Donut Shop (todayifoundout.com)
Denny’s (feastenterprises.com)
How New York City got its first Denny’s (fortune.com)
Denny’s International N.V. (library.hbs.edu)
Denny’s (entrepreneur.com)
Social Awareness
Charity Focus: Children’s Hunger, Education, and United Wa
Green | Eco-Friendly: Denny’s Goes Green in Joliet (environmentalleader.com)
Animal Cruelty:
Animal Welfare (dennys.com)
Switching to Cage-Free Eggs by 2026 (huffingtonpost.com)
Commits to 100% Cage Free Eggs by 2026; Also switching to 100% gestation crate-free pork (cagefreefuture.com)
Pledges To Stop Supporting Gestation Crates (humanesociety.org)
Denny’s Scores One for Animals (peta.org)
Moves To End Use Of Gestation Crates For Its Pork (huffingtonpost.com)
Continues Working With Pork Suppliers To Eliminate Gestation Crates From Supply Chain (humanesociety.org)
Discounts At Denny’s
Rewards Program: Denny’s Reward Program
Do Kids Eat Free at Denny’s?
What day do kids eat free? Tuesday
Summary: Currently, their website states the following –
One coupon, per table, per visit. Limit two free kid’s entrées from the Kid’s menu per one adult entrée and beverage purchase. One free entrée per kid. Children must be 10 years old or younger and accompanied by an adult. Not valid with any other coupons or promotional offers. Taxes and gratuity not included. Beverages not included. Selection and prices may vary. Offer valid for dine-in only.
Does Denny’s Offer Military Discounts?
Summary: As it relates to celebrating Veteran’s Day, their site states the following –
Denny’s locations nationwide will offer a complimentary Build Your Own Grand Slam to service members. This diner classic includes a choice of delicious breakfast items such as two fluffy buttermilk or hearty wheat pancakes, two eggs cooked to order, two sizzling bacon strips or hash browns. The offer is valid from 5 a.m. to noon with a valid military ID.
In addition to thie Veteran’s Day special, several participating locations also offer a meal discount (10-20%) throughout the year.
What About My Birthday at Denny’s?
Summary: Currently, the site currently states the following –
Celebrate your birthday with a FREE GRAND SLAM. Restrictions may apply Kids Eat Free Tuesdays 4PM to 10PM. Ask your server for details. Restrictions may apply.
Do They Offer First Responder Discounts?
Summary: No
Does Denny’s Offer Senior Citizen | AARP Discounts?
Summary: Multiple sources state that AARP members receive a 15% discount with proof of membership and that those (non-members) 55 and older receive a 10% discount. Nothing could be found on the chain’s website.
Are There Any Other Discounts or Benefits?
Summary: By joining their reward program, the site states you will receive
News and fresh deals straight to your inbox!, Receive 20% off your next visit when you join!, Enjoy a delicious birthday gift each year!
Denny’s Grand Slam, the most popular menu item of the chain (pc-dennys.com)
Amenities
Order Online: Denny’s Order Online
WiFi Available: Yes
Use Apple Pay: Yes (if not coming soon)
Reservations: Yes
Catering: No
Drive-Thru: No
Open 24 Hours: No
Customer Reviews of Denny’s
Yelp: 2.4/5 or 47%, 1,915 reviews sampled
Tripadvisor: 3.3/5 or 66%, 2,027 reviews sampled
Overall (weighted) Average: 2.86/5 or 57%, 3,942 reviews sampled
They are one of the best restaurant chains as it relates to benefits being offered to individuals and families. You have to applaud restaurants that are invested in taking care of their customers whether you like the restaurant chain or not. The thing you have to consider when dining there is the value of the food and how much you will enjoy it the overall experience.
Denny's & Related Items on Amazon
Food & Nutrition
Menu: Denny’s Menu
Kids Menu: Denny’s Kids Menu
Secret Menu:
French Toast Cheese Sandwich (ranker.com)
Tsing Tsing Chicken (ranker.com)
Most Popular Menu Item: Super Slam Meal
Coke or Pepsi Products: Coke
Does Denny’s Serve Alcohol: No
Nutritional Information: Denny’s Nutrition Guide
Vegetarian | Vegan Options:
Amy’s Burger and MOAR (orthodoxandvegan.com)
Vegetarian Options (veganuary.com)
Eating Vegetarian (thatnerdysciencegirl.com)
Vegan Food at Denny’s (peta.org)
Additional Resources:
Vegan Options At Popular Fast Food Chains (onegreenplanet.org)
Here’s How to Eat Vegan at Your Favorite Chain Restaurants (chooseveg.com)
Eating Vegan at National Restaurant Chains (insteading.com)
Your Best Vegan Option at 35 Popular Restaurants (eatthis.com)
Try These Vegan Fast Food and Chain Restaurant Options on the Go (peta.org)
Farm to Table | Organic Options | Clean | Non-GMO: No resources found
Miscellaneous Nutrition Resources:
Unwrapping Denny’s Double Cheeseburger (eatthis.com)
Denny’s Healthy Dining (healthydiningfinder.com)
Denny’s: Open For Vegan Food 24/7 (petakids.com)
Worst Milkshakes in America 2015 (eatthis.com)
The Healthiest Menu Items You Can Order At Denny’s (delish.com)
Healthy Options at Denny’s, Part 1: Breakfast (eatingrules.com)
Healthy Options at Denny’s, Part 1: Everything Else (eatingrules.com)
What Dietitians Would Eat At Denny’s (huffingtonpost.ca)
Allergy Information
Allergen Information: Denny’s Allergen Guide
Gluten Free Options:
Denny’s Gluten Free Menu 2009 (celiac-disease.com)
Denny’s Gluten-Free Menu 2018 (nogluten.io)
Dairy Free Options:
Denny’s Go Dairy Free (godairyfree.org)
Restaurant Guide For Dairy-Free Dining (godairyfree.org)
Peanut Free Options: No resources found, but the following may be helpful to you.
Food Allergy Guides For Many Chain Restaurants (verywellhealth.com)
Ways to Eliminate Risks of Peanut Allergy When Dining Out (healthguidance.org)
Denny’s (pc-freepresshouston.com)
Does Denny’s Have Any Secret Recipes?
Secret Recipes:
The best 12 Secret Recipes from Denny’s including the Fabulous French Toast! (topsecretrecipes.com)
23 Copycat Recipes (tasteofhome.com)
French Toast (genuiskitchen.com), (budgetsavvydiva.com)
Fluffy Pancakes (recipe4living.com)
Did You Know?
Fun Facts:
Several locations were originally built without locks on the doors. (source)
The Grand Slam is their most popular menu and was originally introduced in 1977 to honor Hank Aaron. (source) It is also considered the most unhealthy item.
The organization they support most is No Kid Hungry
The company that began as a donut shop no longer offers them on the menu
They have enjoyed a pop culture presence in Hollywood with Breaking Bad, South Park, and the Hobbit movies.
The New York City locations also offer cocktails, including a “Grand Cru Slam” for $300 that includes a bottle of Dom Perigon (Mental Floss)
Interesting Articles:
9 Things You Didn’t Know (thedailymeal.com)
They Started As A Donut Shop (todayifoundout.com)
10 Things You Might Not Know (mentalfloss.com)
Daughter of Founder Slams Company (wsj.com)
30 Facts about Denny’s (dennys.com)
How a Former Waitress Amassed an Empire of Over 75 Locations (entrepreneur.com)
12 Things You Didn’t Know (thrillist.com)
16 Secrets You Don’t Know (eatthis.com)
5 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know (simplybeingmommy.com)
12 Things You Didn’t Know (huffingtonpost.com)
7 Quick Facts About Denny’s (thesimpleparent.com)
Denny's on Amazon
Social Media
Followers (as of July 2018) –
Facebook: 1,347,554
Twitter: 498,000
Instagram: 276,000
Mobile Apps
Alternatives
Food Type: Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel, Denny’s, Perkins, Village Inn
Restaurant Type: Bob Evans, Cracker Barrel, Denny’s, Perkins, Village Inn
In Summary
Whether you’re visiting the big cities or small towns in America, you will most likely find a diner there. They offer some of the best restaurant atmospheres in the U.S. There is one diner that has been successful as a chain and that’s Denny’s. With over 1,600 locations in the U.S. and multiple restaurants in all 50 states, they have been a leader in the restaurant industry for a long time. There isn’t a lot of competition in the space they are in and you should find consistency no matter which location you visit. They do a really good job at catering to families with Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays (some locations offer it nightly), as well as military and senior citizen discounts. If you are concerned about your weight or the ingredients, you may have fewer choices than others but there is probably something on the menu for everyone.
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