Denny's: The Restaurant that Barely Passes FDA Inspection
Written: Jul 16 '01 (Updated Oct 28 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Open 24 hours; low prices; good breakfast food
Cons: Other than breakfast, the food is poor; boring atmosphere
The Bottom Line: Denny's offers low prices and 24 hour service, but you get what you pay for.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Denny's |
Denny’s is a well- known chain restaurant that was founded by Harold Butler in Garden Grove California, in 1953. Butler named the restaurant after his son. It was originally a donut shop, but it was later expanded into a full- service restaurant. It now has locations all over the nation, in almost every state.
Menu Selection:
When I think of eating at Denny’s, the first thing that comes to mind is eating breakfast. This is probably due to the successful advertising campaigns in the past that featured reduced prices on breakfast foods. The Grand Slam Breakfast is a popular choice. It includes bacon, pancakes, and eggs. There are also several variations of the “Slam” breakfast, like the Fruit Slam, French Slam, and Grand Slam Slugger. You can also create your own breakfast at Denny’s, by choosing individual items like eggs, ham, sausage, omelettes, waffles, pancakes, grilled cheese, etc.
The lunch menu consists of the usual burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches, salads, soups, etc. For dinner, Denny’s offers steak, turkey, chicken, and a few other main dishes, all served with vegetables and other side items. The menu is large in size, and it definitely takes two hands to operate. It includes enough choices to satisfy most consumers.
Desserts at Denny’s are mostly pies. They serve banana splits also, but pies are the primary dessert item. You can select from apple pie, Oreo cookies cream pie, chocolate pie, key lime pie, or my personal favorite, the chocolate peanut butter pie.
Beverages include soft drinks, fruit juices, coffee, tea, and milk. There are no alcoholic beverages served (sigh!).
Atmosphere/Service:
I’ve eaten at a few Denny’s in my day, around the country, and they all seem to have the same boring atmosphere. They have booths and tables to choose from, but there is no theme and nothing to look at. They are basically just a place to sit and eat. Many of the locations are in serious need of a facelift. There’s a location in my neck of the woods that still has old booths that look like they were installed 30 or 40 years ago, and the carpet on the floor is old and faded.
I haven’t had any problem with service at Denny’s. The staff is just as helpful as I would expect for a sit- down restaurant. And they are very quick to replace any food that you’re not satisfied with. I have had an occasion or two at Denny’s where the food was undercooked or too cold, and they replaced it promptly, with no questions asked.
Pricing:
Denny’s gets good marks when it comes to pricing. Two people can eat breakfast for a total of about $10, including the tip. That’s not much more than you would pay at a fast- food restaurant. The lunches and dinners are a little more expensive, ranging in price from $4.00 to $9.00, but they are still cheap when compared to other restaurants. In my area, they frequently offer discount coupons, too, which makes the price even lower. It’s common to find a “buy one get one free” coupon for a sandwich platter, in my local paper.
Another good thing is the convenience of Denny’s. They are open 24 hours per day, so you can always count on Denny’s when the urge strikes to dine out.
Final Thoughts:
Denny’s food is usually sub- par in quality. Except for the breakfasts, I don’t normally even think of eating at Denny’s. Breakfast food is probably the best, because, well, it’s pretty hard to mess up things like eggs and pancakes! But the other food is often bland and forgettable.
Another major problem with Denny’s is its image. Have you noticed that when somebody says the name “Denny’s”, the people around him/her get a smirk on their faces and try not to laugh? Have you also noticed that television situation comedies will often mention going to Denny’s in a somewhat degrading way, and it’s always followed by laughter? This is a problem that the restaurant needs to work on. When people think about going to a restaurant, they shouldn’t be embarrassed to admit it, but with Denny’s they often are. Maybe they fear that others will accuse them of being “cheap”, or that they will be looked down on for having poor taste in food. Whatever the reason, there is definitely an image problem with this restaurant and its going to take time and effort to change it.
As I said before, Denny’s has no problem replacing your food if you’re not satisfied. This is a good policy to have, but it happens a little too frequently. Whenever I eat at Denny’s, I have expectations that something will not be right. Whether it’s the food, the service, the ugly atmosphere, etc., I assume from the start that there will be something dissatisfying. That shows just how far Denny’s has to go, to become a respectable place to eat.
Overall, Denny’s is a good place for hungry folks who work the late shift, and it does serve decent- tasting breakfast at a low price. But unless you like eggs and pancakes, you should avoid Denny’s. It’s barely a half- step above fast- food.
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read Reviews of Other Full- Service Restaurants:
American Style Food:
Hooters
Perkins
Waffle House
Damon’s
Steak ‘n Shake
Cracker Barrel
Frisch’s
Max & Erma’s
Golden Corral
Shoney’s
Bob Evans
Hard Rock Cafe
Outback Steak House
Friendly’s
Red Lobster
Texas Road House
Bill Knapp’s
Ground Round
Fricker’s
Hops
Applebee’s
O’Charley’s
BW-3
Ponderosa
IHOP
Ruby Tuesday
Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q
Famous Dave’s
Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Cafe
Ryan’s Restaurant
Italian:
Olive Garden
Carrabba’s
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Mexican
Chi- Chi’s
Cozymel’s
Chipotle
Recommended:
No
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