Denny's (DENN) invited the whole country for a free breakfast Tuesday, to reacquaint customers with its restaurants.
The restaurant chain is giving away the Grand Slam, which has pancakes, eggs, bacon strips and sausage links, to any customer Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Grand Slam is normally $5.99.

Denny's has promoted the freebie heavily, with a 30-second ad that aired during the third quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday, another 15-second ad during the post-game show and a full page ad in USA TODAY's Monday editions. The company reported 14 million visits to its website between Sunday night and Monday morning.


TELL US: Did you take them up on the offer?
SUPER BOWL: See the ad

With the promotion only underway a few hours, spokeswoman Cori Rice said restaurants in Miami, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles were reporting long lines and other locations said they were busy but under control.

North Fort Myers
The company expects up to 2 million people to take advantage of the deal. Rice says each restaurant can turn out about 100 Grand Slams an hour.

Denny's, which has more than 1,500 locations, sells more than 12.5 million Grand Slam breakfasts a year.

As consumers continue to pull back during the recession, the breakfast market has become increasingly focused on value meals to grab those still willing to spend.

Starbucks (SBUX) plans to offer "several breakfast pairings" at "attractive" prices, according to Chief Executive Howard Schultz last week. Others fighting for a piece of the pie include McDonald's (MCD), which is offering new lower-priced specialty coffee drinks, and Dunkin' Donuts, which has value-minded deals.

Denny's says it is trying to change perceptions that it is a place for a sit-down breakfast that will take a long time. It can provide breakfasts to go and have food prepared within 10 minutes if the customers want fast service, according to Rice.

How the giveaway played out across the country:

Hollywood

With long blue hair and studded piercings in his nose, lips and tongue, Aaron Revivo knows what it means to be bold. And as he chomped through his free Grand Slam breakfast, he had nothing but praise for Denny's

"I think it's a bold move by Denny's — very bold," he said, having demolished the sausage and bacon and moving on to the scrambled eggs and pancakes. "It is indeed grand."

Revivo, 22, a retail clerk, waited 25 minutes for the pleasure, and since he lives close by, is a regular Denny's customer anyway. He usually orders the meat lover's omelette.

On a busy corner in North Hollywood, not far from the most famous movie lots, Revivo was one of an eclectic collection of people who showed up early for a free breakfast. Just about everyone said they lived in the neighborhood.

By 6 a.m., there was a line out the door. At 7 a.m., about 60 people waited in a line that wound out on the street in front of the store where manager George Cantu handed them tickets so they could be called by number. The wait was about 25 minutes.

The first group in the door was four hungry high school seniors from Grant High School. They arrived at 5:32 a.m. and didn't have to wait. They got a table right away and ordered their Grand Slams even though the promotion didn't officially start for 20 minutes.

"We thought it was going to be huge," said Chris Altamirano, 18, about why they came extra early. He and Manuel Dominguez, 18, and Jesson. Martinez, 17, all piled into friend Eddie Briones' Honda for the trip.

They loved the free aspect of the deal,. When waitress Laura Martinez asked if they wanted beverages, Altamirano asked his buddies, "How much is a drink? That's a trick. They got you right there." They all ordered ice water, and they didn't leave a tip.

Martinez took it in stride. "It's just one day," she said, referring to the promotion.

But even though she said the wait staff was told to expect that some customers wouldn't tip, most bought beverages and left gratuities.

If Denny's goal was create new customers, they might have succeeded with Gary Hendrickson, 65, a retired aerospace worker who keeps active renting his 17 classic cars to movie studios. He has lived in North Hollywood his whole life, always seen the Denny's and "turned the corner. I really didn't step in here."

The 20 minutes he stood in line was "well worth the wait" and he said he might come back — even for the Grand Slam. "This is too good to pass up," he said — especially when he got the bill, which was just for the coffee: $2.48.

The deal was so good, in fact, that Matt Skeadas,. 28, brought the entire East Valley High School boy's basketball team, about 20 guys. "I hardly got any sleep, I was so excited," said Skeadas, a coach of the varsity team. "We had practice yesterday (and) decided it would be a good team bonding event," he said. "Everybody was here on time."

By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY

•Fort Collins, Colo.

At the Denny's in Fort Collins, near the intersection of Interstate 25 and Mulberry Street, workers started giving away free meals at least 30 minutes before the official 6 a.m. start time, if diners asked.

Former Denny's employee Chris Morimitsu, 39, and his family were among the first to come in. Morimitsu said he, wife Michelle, 31, and son Ryan, 1, were all awake early, but son Aaron, 7, was still sleeping.

"He got excited when I said 'pancakes, bacon and eggs,'" said Morimitsu.

By 5:58 a.m., the restaurant was full and a waiting list started. The dining room's capacity is 167, according to the occupancy permit. Families with young children sat next to college and high school students, and servers raced from table to table offering the free meals, refilling coffee mugs, and pouring juice and water.

Most of Tuesday morning's diners said they don't normally come to Denny's for breakfast but were drawn in by the offer.

"Usually it's a bagel in the morning," said Fort Collins delivery driver Loren Wartman, 21, as he waited for a table with roommate David Mansanarez. "This is a treat, especially the way the times are and all."

Mansanarez, 23, said he often buys a burrito from a vendor who comes to his job at Collins Door and Hardware.

Retired Poudre School District social studies teacher Andy Chismar said he was meeting a friend to discuss business.

"He said, 'I'll take you out for breakfast tomorrow, but the only time I can do it is 6 in the morning,'" Chismar said.

Chismar, 65, said he was looking forward to seeing the spectacle of so many people trying to get a free meal.

By 6:10 a.m. the restaurant lobby was packed with about 30 people, with a handful more waiting outside in below-freezing weather. Cars, trucks and SUVs circled the parking lot. The sun would not rise for almost another hour.

Store manager Theresa Rasmussen said she called in 26 workers for the morning, 18 more than normal. She said people the day before had been calling from as far away as Nebraska, and at least one caller said they planned to bring a vanload of diners.

"I was surprised by how many phone calls we got," she said before the rush began, as country music played quietly on the restaurant's speaker system.

By 6 a.m., the phone was ringing regularly, and workers repeated the answers: yes, they were offering free breakfast, no strings attached. And yes, there was a wait.

By Trevor Hughes, Fort Collins Coloradoan

•Fort Myers, Fla.

At least a dozen tables were empty at 6 a.m. at the Denny's in North Fort Myers, but not for long:

Forty minutes into the Grand Slam breakfast giveaway, "We've got 101 guests. That's pretty quick," said John Taylor, Denny's regional manager working Tuesday at the restaurant.

The pace quickened after 7 a.m., when all tables were filled, and a dozen or more groups waited to be seated.

"I'm happy for this free food. There's no money around," said Clayton Willcutts, 19, who works in lathing — when there are jobs.

"The price sounds good," deadpanned Michael Hanlon, as he puffed on a cigarette and sipped at a can of Arizona Iced Tea, while waiting in line.

Landon Bennett admitted he'd started his day at a Perkins Family Restaurant, for a regularly scheduled group Bible study. "We just did coffee, then we'll meet up here," Bennett said.

Bennett, who's 40, recently moved to nearby Cape Coral, Fla., to start the Anointed Heavy Trucks & Auto Detailing service.

Bennett praised Denny's "investment in love and hope."

Paraphrasing scripture, Bennett said: "You reap what you sow. (Denny's) is going to reap rewards. "

When times get better, Bennett said, people are going to remember Denny's "stepping outside the box. They'll keep coming back to Denny's."

By Laura L. Ruane, The News-Press

Greenville, S.C.

At the Denny's here, just down the road from the chain's corporate headquarters in Spartanburg, S.C., Josh Richardson, 35, of Greenville, said he has been out of work since last May.

His friend, Brenda Brown, also of Greenville, said, "It's wonderful of them to do this, especially the way the economy is right now."

"I'm single and I'm working, but it's still hard to pay all the bills, especially when you have extra bills right now and there's usually not anything left for food or gas," Brown said. "So this is a great blessing."

The packed restaurant kept waitress Mary Ann Lauger, 20, of Greenville, busy.

"It's just crazy, but everybody's been really patient, so it's really not that bad," she said. "Everybody's pretty happy."

Marty Anderson of Marietta, S.C., said he's a regular. He's glad to still have his job as a textile worker, in an industry that was once a mainstay of the South Carolina economy but began falling into decline long before the current economic downturn.

"I'm one of the few left," he said.

Denny's manager Cindy Robertson said everything was going fine at mid-morning, except she had to send someone to Walmart to buy more pancake syrup.

By Ron Barnett, The Greenville News

Contributing: Associated Press

No

though I know several peeps that did

no, but the line was CRAZY!!!

no, didn't know about it..but it's not worth standing in-line.

I'm a IHOP kinda gal and haven't fucked with Denny's racist asses since the 90s.

I live in Hawaii so like always I'm guessing the deal is not offered here.

SCNDLS said:

I co-sign all of this except i've never been to Denny's and from what i've heard...NEVER WILL!!!

Do they serve Black people yet??

If there was a Denny's in The Bronx, I would have checked it out. Denny's is cool but I'm like SCNDLS, I'm more of an IHOP dude. Plus they are all around in NYC too.

Denny's pancakes do not turn me on

never had denny, but looooove IHOP! OMG!

kimrachell said:

I don't think so either!

purplecam said:

My homegirl that lives in Harlem ACTUALLY called me yesterday from IHOP to help her decide whether to do breakfast or dinner. . . After I cussed her ass out, I told her to go for breakfast. Shit, you can get a steak any damn where but them buttermilk pancakes are enough to make you choke somebody or stab 'em with a fork for getting too close to your plate.

SCNDLS said:

I haven't EVER eaten at no Denny's for that exact reason.
I don't care if they were paying ME to eat it.

I could sure go for some IHOP pancakes with butter pecan syrup right about now

thekidsgirl said:

BUTTER PECAN SYRUP! Oh lord!

ToraToraDreams said:

I actually had a few racist incidents happen to me at 3 Denny's in different states. The only time I went to Denny's was when I couldn't find an IHOP.

thekidsgirl said:

HOT DAMN AND A CAN OF SPAM!!!

I thought I was the only one.

ToraToraDreams said:

OMG!!!

ToraToraDreams said:

!!!!

SCNDLS said:

Dayclear said:

Hakeen Olajuwon owns the Denny's by my house.

RodeoSchro said:

But does he EAT there?

I went to Waffle House right after work last night.

AnckSuNamun said:

waffle house...

I'll have the allstar
eggs over easy
bacon
waffle w/ sugar free syrup
grits and hashbrowns...

best stuff ever!

Fuck Denny's and IHOP. Cracker Barrel is the best.

uPtoWnNY said:

Denny's is racist, Cracker Barrel is homophobic and IHOP is decent, but Bob Evans is where it's at!

applekisses said:

question?

hang on....



I'm gonna ask it.....



wait for iiiiit!!!!





im telling you im gonna ask the question dammit be patient.....






ok now!













Da fuck is a Bob Evans?
[Edited 2/5/09 7:02am]

roodboi said:

I HATE Waffle House a lil too Mel's Diner for me. But why is there one on EVERY corner in Atlanta?
[Edited 2/5/09 7:09am]

IAintTheOne said:

I had a feeling someone would ask.

http://www.bobevans.com/w...enDocument