What? Nobody does Denny's?!

All this esoterica!

Personally, when on the road, I find it hard to beat Denny's Grand Slam Slugger - two eggs done just right, a good slab of ham (I always ask for ham instead of bacon or sausage), golden hashbrowns, and a couple of big fluffy pancakes off to the side.

(Actually, I usually have to arrange the constituents to suit my sensibilities when it arrives. But the concept is there.)

Whatever else you can say about them, Denny's are dependable and the service is fast, no matter how long it takes . The places are clean enough, the bathrooms are clean enough, and it's a good place to take a break and rub the dust out of your eyes.

Two cents,
rickb

I loved Denny's when I was younger. We would go on Sunday's. I would get hashbrown and smother them with hollandaise.

I didn't know better. About Denny's, I mean. Hollandaise sauce still kicks a$$. By high school, Denny's became..."well nothing else is open at 1 am I guess we have to go to Denny's." Ah, medium sized town life.

Ah, yes - that was the other function it served: Someplace you knew was open after a night of heavy partying.

Yes, those days are quite past...

rickb

Huh, funny. This got moved to 'Fast Food Franchises' (& 'Non-Roadfood Chains'? Is there such a thing?)

Anyway, I was specifically talking in the context of breakfasts: Denny's does them well. Less of a choice for other meals of the day.

Oh, well - still figuring out the landscape.

rickb

My grandkids love Denny's and when I ask them where they want to eat the reply "Denny's". They both love the "Moon Over Myhammy" sandwich which I admit is pretty good too.

It seems like everyone likes Denny's but my husband and me. I have been to a few in different states and always find them dirty and gross. After telling my father this, he insisted on taking me to yet another one. I still did not like it and will never go to one again. Denny's has to be my least favorite place, right behind Subway.

I am not a big fast food eater but would eat fast food before Denny's.

Well yeah I eat at Denny's. I didn't like them at first though because of all their racial controversy. Now I love them. IHOP and Denny's will be my first choices for Breakfast.

quote:

Originally posted by nicolem

.. Denny's has to be my least favorite place, right behind Subway.

Ho!

First instance I've heard Subway referenced in the same sentence as Denny's.

So, what do you do when you hit the road? I presume not BK or MacD's...

rickb

Despte the fact that I've been in just two Denny's where the service was better than horrible (Eureka, California and Spokane, Washington) I have enjoyed some of the food. Unfortunately, they shut down all the Denny's restaurants in the central Ohio area where I live several years ago.

My Wife fondly recalls their pattie melts from her college days, so we make it a point of eating at Denny's about every ten years.

We stopped at one during a torrential rainstorm in Miami a few weeks ago out of desperation and hunger. No pattie melts. Burgers were okay, maybe a half-notch better than Wendy's, but overpriced for what they were. The place was reasonably clean.

The good news is that we have no reason to go to Denny's any longer (other than sheer desperation).

quote:

Originally posted by rickbsgu

Huh, funny. This got moved to 'Fast Food Franchises' (& 'Non-Roadfood Chains'? Is there such a thing?)

I assume you mean "is there such a thing as a Roadfood chain?" or "aren't all chains non-roadfood?"

The answer (respectively) is "yes there are" and "no"

Probably the most well-known example, one of many: http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=1647

So again, yes....Fast food *can* be roadfood, and chain food *can* be roadfood. I think it'd be fair to add that these are far more the exception than the rule.

As Michael said we don't have any in Columbus but my wife and I stopped at one earlier this summer over near Cambridge, OH. I got the Moons Over MyHammy and fries. It really wasn't too bad.

I always have enjoyed Denny's....the only problem is the closest one around anymore is in chambersburg 12miles away I don't usally drive that far for breakfast.
Ron

When I used to drink heavily (those days are past), I liked Denny's pizza omelet the morning after ...

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

quote:

Originally posted by rickbsgu

Huh, funny. This got moved to 'Fast Food Franchises' (& 'Non-Roadfood Chains'? Is there such a thing?)

I assume you mean "is there such a thing as a Roadfood chain?" or "aren't all chains non-roadfood?"

Actually, the other way around. I think of most chain restaurants as 'road food' restaurants - the chief attraction is they're ubiquitous, and they're a known quantity in strange places.

When you're not feeling too adventurous, anyway.

rickb

quote:

Originally posted by rickbsgu


Actually, the other way around. I think of most chain restaurants as 'road food' restaurants - the chief attraction is they're ubiquitous, and they're a known quantity in strange places.

Ah.

Your definition of Roadfood is very different than the one on which this website is based.

Which is fine....but something to be aware of

Mmmmm, Denny's. Chicken fried steak & eggs w/hashbrowns, pannycakes on the side. Buffalo chicken fingers, hold the celery & a cherry lemonade.

I can't eat there anymore, because I am too tempted to order things that I really shouldn't. I save that for my Roadfood excursions.

But after bar time (the one time a year I go out, haha) their pancakes call to me.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

quote:

Originally posted by rickbsgu


Actually, the other way around. I think of most chain restaurants as 'road food' restaurants - the chief attraction is they're ubiquitous, and they're a known quantity in strange places.

Ah.

Your definition of Roadfood is very different than the one on which this website is based.

Which is fine....but something to be aware of

I'm beginning to suspect that - being a newbie here, and all.

Soo... my definition is: food that you eat while you're on the road. Or, perhaps in a broader sense, where and what one eats when traveling. Wherever and by whatever means.

Now, I'll have to scan for definitions. Don't quite understand...

rickb

quote:

Originally posted by rickbsgu

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

quote:

Originally posted by rickbsgu


Actually, the other way around. I think of most chain restaurants as 'road food' restaurants - the chief attraction is they're ubiquitous, and they're a known quantity in strange places.

Ah.

Your definition of Roadfood is very different than the one on which this website is based.

Which is fine....but something to be aware of

I'm beginning to suspect that - being a newbie here, and all.

Soo... my definition is: food that you eat while you're on the road. Or, perhaps in a broader sense, where and what one eats when traveling. Wherever and by whatever means.

Now, I'll have to scan for definitions. Don't quite understand...

rickb

To make it easy for you............this is how the top of the home page for Roadfood describes it:

What is Roadfood?
Great regional meals along highways, in small towns and in city neighborhoods. It is sleeves-up food made by cooks, bakers, pitmasters, and sandwich-makers who are America’s culinary folk artists. Roadfood is almost always informal and inexpensive; and the best Roadfood restaurants are colorful places enjoyed by locals (and savvy travelers) for their character as well as their menu.

Hope that this helps you.

Every few years, I eat at Denny's, and always swear that I will never eat there again. Every time I have been, the wait has been long to sit down, the restaurant was dirty, the service poor, and the food ice cold...I actually had ice still in the sausage and hash browns on one trip; another trip garnered some cole slaw with a few long dark hairs in it...eew...I don't think I will be going back there anytime soon...Give me the Waffle House, IHOP, or Bob Evans any day of the week...

When roadtripping to Tulsa, OK to see Hanson a few months ago, the only restaurant within walking distance of our hotel was Denny's. So guess where we ate for practically every meal? ;-) I think I may have been to Denny's once prior to this trip, but I was pleasantly surprised at how extensive their menu was, and how affordable. Food was pretty good and we had good service for the several times that we went.

--Jessica

I think I would go with the roadfood as the hidden gem model. Been there a while, or not, has a known entity - (burgers, wings, hot dogs, bbq, omlettes, grilled cheese, meatloaf sandwich,fried clams- whatever you get the idea it's a long list) And they try and do it the best, or differently but still really good. And it is usually a good price for what it is. Chains rarely strive for the best, they strive for passable enough to get the most people in and get the most money out of them.

I fall under chains can have roadfood, (burgers, comfort food etc) but chains are not automatically roadfood worthy. Anyway with the number of chains now (carrabas, Cheesecake Factory, Morton's) it is impossible to say chains are always roadfood.

Denny's.....I have always found them gross and dirty. Walked out a couple of times. Menu never looks good.

Mark me as a person who refuses to eat there also. The service is what did it for me.

This post reminded me that I have not been to Denny's for a while. Went for breakfast at 6:00am this morning, place was very clean, two eggs over easy with hashbrowns were very good, and I was in & out in under 30 minutes. I was sitting at the counter, I could see the cook doing his thing; he was very good at it.

While there a waitress picked up a club sandwich with french fries that was picture perfect, made me wish I had ordered that instead.

The Denny's in Rialto and Fontana do a good job with the food and service. There's a dearth of restaurants that serve typical American style food around here. There's a 50s style cafe in Cucamonga that fits the Roadfood description as far as it's a one off, non-corporate restaurant with friendly locals both working and eating there, but the food sucks, so I find myself hitting Denny's rather than that place.

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

The Denny's in Rialto and Fontana do a good job with the food and service. There's a dearth of restaurants that serve typical American style food around here. There's a 50s style cafe in Cucamonga that fits the Roadfood description as far as it's a one off, non-corporate restaurant with friendly locals both working and eating there, but the food sucks, so I find myself hitting Denny's rather than that place.

When we race in NHRA and we stay in Ontario, we always enjoy Denny's early in the morning. I am talking at 4:00AM as it is 7:00AM in Tennessee and we are hungry. I have never had a bad meal with them. They do a very good job.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Quartz

Well yeah I eat at Denny's. I didn't like them at first though because of all their racial controversy. Now I love them. IHOP and Denny's will be my first choices for Breakfast.

Personally, I didn't believe a word of that racial crap about Denny's, Denny's is in business to sell food, I don't believe they care less about your race. Eat the food, pay the bill. A bunch of black FBI agents go to a Denny's and are ignored, sure makes a good story and even better payday. It pays to play the race card, Duke Lacrosse anyone!

Are you saying that a bunch of black FBI agents made this all up?
What in the world does the Duke lacrosse players have to do with Denny's?
I'm guessing you wouldn't think of lumping all people together solely because they share the same skin color?
Of course not, I hope you judge all people by the content of their character.

Back to Denny's. I'd never been in one but we got a buy one, get one free coupon for the one a few blocks from our house. We came in and were seated immediately but then we were ignored until I corralled a passing waitress and asked to be served. She stated that it wasn't her table but she'd let someone know. Our waitress came over without an explanation and took our order. The food came out with mistakes made but since we were using a coupon we shut our mouth, ate, and paid telling each other it was our last visit. btw, The apps we ordered tasted like they came from the freezer bag directly into the fryer and the price for our entree's seemed slightly overpriced even with the coupon. Seeing the some of the other comments, perhaps our location was in need of a better manager and we shouldn't write them all off. Still it wouldn't be a place I would seek out.

quote:

Originally posted by LuckyLabrador

quote:

Originally posted by Quartz

Well yeah I eat at Denny's. I didn't like them at first though because of all their racial controversy. Now I love them. IHOP and Denny's will be my first choices for Breakfast.

Personally, I didn't believe a word of that racial crap about Denny's, Denny's is in business to sell food, I don't believe they care less about your race. Eat the food, pay the bill. A bunch of black FBI agents go to a Denny's and are ignored, sure makes a good story and even better payday. It pays to play the race card, Duke Lacrosse anyone!

Anyone that thinks that racial bias does not exist has their head in the clouds.