Denny's 690296 225569631 2008-07-14T10:34:39Z Rjwilmsi 203434 no 'of' between a month and a year per [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_%28dates_and_numbers%29#Longer_periods|MOS]] using [[Project:AutoWikiBrowser|AWB]] {{Infobox_Company | company_name = Denny's | company_logo = [[Image:Denny's logo.svg|center|220px]]| company_type = [[Public]] ({{nasdaq|DENN}}) | foundation = [[1953]] | location = [[Spartanburg, South Carolina|Spartanburg]], [[South Carolina]], [[United States|U.S.]] | industry = [[Casual dining]] [[restaurant]] | homepage = [http://www.dennys.com/ www.dennys.com] }} '''Denny's''' (aka '''Denny's Diner''' as appeared on some of the locations' [[signage]]) is the largest full-service diner/family [[restaurant chain]] in the [[United States]]. It operates over 2,500 restaurants in the [[United States]] (including [[Puerto Rico]]), [[Canada]], [[Curaçao]], [[Costa Rica]], [[El Salvador]], [[Japan]], [[Mexico]], and [[New Zealand]]. Denny's is known for its 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year operations, serving [[breakfast]], [[lunch]], [[dinner]], and [[dessert]] around the clock. Many of their restaurants are located in proximity to [[freeway]] exits and in service areas of small towns and remote areas. Unlike many other restaurant chains, Denny's does not close on holidays or nights, except where required by law. ==History== [[Image:Tokyo Dennys.jpg|thumb|right|A Denny's restaurant in [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]].]] [[Image:Pancake Denny's Restaurant.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Halloween]] [[pancake]] at a Denny's restaurant in Tokyo]] [[Image:Denny's Sign.JPG|thumb|right|The neon sign of a Denny's in [[San Clemente, California]]]] Denny's was founded under the name '''Danny's Donuts''' in 1953 by [[Harold Butler]] in [[Lakewood, California|Lakewood]], [[California]]. Butler expanded to 20 restaurants by 1959, when he renamed the chain to Denny's to avoid confusion with another chain "Doughnut Dan's". The business continued to grow and by 1981, there were over 1,000 restaurants in all 50 [[U.S. state]]s. In 1978, Denny's introduced the still-popular Grand Slam breakfast. In contrast to the USA, in New Zealand no hash brown nor toast is provided with the Grand Slam. In 1994, Denny's became the largest corporate sponsor of [[Save the Children]], a national charity. Denny's headquarters were located in [[Irvine, California|Irvine]], [[California]], until 1991. At that time, the main office was moved to the [[Spartanburg, South Carolina|Spartanburg]], [[South Carolina]], headquarters of the parent company [[Trans World Corporation]] that acquired Denny's in 1988. Eventually, Denny's operations dominated the parent company to such an extent that Trans World Corporation, after several name changes, became '''Denny's Corporation'''. It now trades on the [[NASDAQ]] under the symbol {{ndaq|DENN}}. Today, Denny's operates about 1,600 restaurants in 49 [[U.S. state]]s ([[Wyoming]] is the only state without a Denny's), [[Canada]] and [[Mexico]]. There are also about 578 Denny's restaurants in [[Japan]] operated under a license by a subsidiary of [[Seven & I Holdings]]. In [[New Zealand]], there are 5 Denny's Restaurants in Auckland Region, one in Wellington and one in Christchurch http://www.dennysrestaurant.co.nz Denny's New Zealand is run as a family restaurants concept and has been operating successfully for nearly 20 years with great value menus. The New Zealand menu prices are double those of the States. Also in New Zealand, on holidays, families are charged a supplement to eat at Denny's. The restaurants are designed to create an ultra modern retrospec dining experience. There is a Denny's attached to the Holiday Beach Hotel in Otrabanda, Willemstad, Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles. Along with the regular Denny's Menu the restaurant also has a selection of local ("kriyoyo") dishes. For much of its history, Denny's was notable for offering a free meal to anyone on their birthday. The offer only included a limited number of meal options from a special birthday menu. The promotional ritual ceased in 1993, though occasionally individual franchises will continue the tradition. ==Competitors== Competing restaurants include [[IHOP (restaurant)|IHOP]], [[Shoney's]], [[Bob Evans Restaurants|Bob Evans]], [[Waffle House]], [[Cracker Barrel]], [[Eat'n Park]], [[Perkins Restaurant and Bakery|Perkins]], [[Bickford's (restaurant)|Bickford's]], [[Huddle House]], [[Golden Griddle]], [[Steak n Shake]], and [[Village Inn]]. Denny's also competes with restaurant chains throughout various regions of the country. ==Controversy== ===Racial discrimination lawsuits=== During the early 1990s, Denny's was involved in a series of discrimination lawsuits involving several cases of servers denying or providing inferior service to racial [[minorities]], especially [[African American]] customers.<ref>[http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=discrimination+denny%27s+san+jose+teenagers&um=1&sa=N&cid=8564770378612765 discrimination denny's san jose teenagers - Google News Archive Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> These are some of the most notable incidents involving racial discrimination at Denny's: *In San Jose, California, several black teenagers were refused service unless they agreed to pay in advance (Smith, 1996). This was the first recorded incident of such events.<ref>[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20D12FB345C0C768EDDAC0894DC494D81 Denny's Restaurants to Pay $54 Million in Race Bias Suits - New York Times<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/BG/lib00065,0EADE0D6EECC1478.html Boston.com Local Search - Boston Globe Archives<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> *Six Asian-American Syracuse University students visited a local Denny’s restaurant late at night. They waited over 30 minutes as white patrons were regularly served, seated, and offered more helpings. They began to complain to management and to their server regarding the situation. They were then forced to leave the establishment by two security guards (called by Denny’s management). Then, according to the students, a group of white men came out of Denny's and attacked the group,<ref>"Syracuse U. Students Fault Police on Denny's," ''The New York Times'', [[August 27]] [[1997]]</ref> shouting racial epithets. Several of the students were beaten into unconsciousness.<ref>"Federal Investigation Finds Fault at Denny's", ''AsianWeek News'', Heather Harlan, [[August 22]]-[[August 28]] [[1997]]</ref><ref>[http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=denny%27s+discrimination&um=1&sa=N&cid=8578046122525057 Denny's discrimination - Google News Archive Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-736009.html Bias Alleged at N.Y. Denny's - The Washington Post - HighBeam Research<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> *Six Black Secret Service agents visited a Denny’s restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. They were forced to wait an hour for service while their white companions were seated immediately upon entering (Guillermo, 1997).<ref>[http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=denny%27s+discrimination+secret+service&um=1&sa=N&cid=8564770378612765 denny's discrimination secret service - Google News Archive Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> *A Black Denny’s customer was told that he and his friends had to pay up front at the counter upon ordering their meals. He questioned the waitress: "We asked the waitress about it and she said some black guys had been in earlier who made a scene and walked out without paying their bill. So the manager now wanted all blacks to pay up front." (Ferraro, 1995)<ref>http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB0DB63812257B5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM</ref> In 1994, Denny's settled a [[class action]] lawsuit filed by thousands of black customers who had been refused service, forced to wait longer, or pay more than white customers. The $54.4 million settlement was the largest and broadest under Federal public-accommodations laws established 30 years ago to end segregation in restaurants and public spaces.<ref>[http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-22430276.html In a Surprising Act of Redemption, Denny's Becomes a Leader in - Washington Informer - HighBeam Research<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> After the $54.4 million settlement, Denny's created a racial sensitivity training program for all its employees. Denny's has also made efforts at improving its [[public relations]] image by featuring African Americans in many of its commercials, including one featuring [[Sherman Hemsley]] and [[Isabel Sanford]] (both actors from the popular ''[[The Jeffersons]]'' television show).<ref>[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-10296200.html 'The Jeffersons' come back for another Denny's round. | The Business Journal (Serving Greater Tampa Bay) (September, 2001)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-10391793.html SHERMAN HEMSLEY AND ISABEL SANFORD. | Nation's Restaurant News Daily NewsFax (September, 2001)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In 2001, Denny's was chosen by [[Fortune Magazine|''Fortune'' magazine]] as the "Best Company for Minorities."<ref>[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=VP&p_theme=vp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAFFBE6DAC6D20F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Virginian-Pilot Archives<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=denny%27s+Best+Company+for+Minorities&um=1 denny's Best Company for Minorities - Google News Archive Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Ehrenreich=== [[Image:120907 1054.jpg|thumb|200px|A Denny's Restaurant in [[Ontario, California]].]] In the controversial book ''[[Nickel and Dimed]]'' by [[Barbara Ehrenreich]], the author included her experience working in a [[restaurant]] chain known for its line of breakfast foods. To avoid lawsuits, due to the descriptions of less than desirable work conditions, she mentions the name of the restaurant under the [[pseudonym]] "Jerry's". Readers have speculated that Denny's is the restaurant chain she is describing.<ref>[http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/NR/lib00401,0F9A7E588E49D351.html NPR : Transcripts Search Results<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Violence=== Over the past decade there has been an increase in reported violence at Denny's locations across the United States. The company has been plagued with bad publicity of fatal shootings outside their restaurants. In 2006 over a period of one week, three shootings occurred at three different Denny's locations across Southern California. *In January, 2007 a man unleashed a barrage of bullets in a Kent, Washington location, wounding five people. *March 17, 2006 a gunman opened fire in an Anaheim, CA restaurant killing one man, and seriously wounding another. *March 16, 2006 a second fatal shooting occurred at a Southern California Denny's. *March 15, 2006 a man shot, and killed two individuals dining at Denny's. *April, 1997 seven Syracuse University students were victims of a vicious beating outside a local Denny's restaurant. In response, student groups of the university protested Denny's. ==''Dateline NBC'' report== In October 2004, ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' aired a segment titled "Dirty Dining." This segment examined the 10 most popular family and [[casual dining]] chains in the United States, including [[Bob Evans Restaurants|Bob Evans]], [[Red Lobster]], [[Waffle House]], [[Chili's]], [[Ruby Tuesday (restaurant)|Ruby Tuesday]], [[International House of Pancakes|IHOP]], [[Applebee's]], [[TGI Friday's]], [[Outback Steakhouse]], and Denny's. As part of the segment, the producers examined the [[Health Inspector|health inspection]] records for 100 restaurants over 15 months and totaled all of the critical violations, or violations that can result in adverse effects to the customers' health. Denny's had the fewest violations of the 10 chains evaluated by Dateline and was the only one to average fewer than one violation per restaurant. Denny's and [[Waffle House]] were the only two chains studied that operate chain-wide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year (many IHOPs operate 24 hours as well) &mdash; an important factor to consider, as around-the-clock restaurants generally gather more health code violations.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} (Waffle House ranked the worst of the 10 chains examined.) Denny's, however, did not seem to be affected by the lack of downtime. Denny's attributes this relative success to its adherence to the principles of [[Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points]] (HACCP) &mdash; the [[science]] of [[food safety]].<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6083318/ How safe are your favorite restaurants? - Consumer Alert - MSNBC.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Image:Denny'sdiner.jpg|thumb|200px|Denny's Diner in Bangor Maine, inspired by 1960 culture.]] ==The "Denny's Diner" prototype== In May 1997 the first Denny's Classic Diner was opened in Fort Myers, FL. The diner concept was created by the principals of a Denny's Franchisee SWFRI, Inc. The principals were Ron, Marcia, Marc and Todd York. The diner is a modular building that resembled the 50's diners. Today there are approximately 38 modular diners in the United States. In addition there are several diners that resemble the modulars but are actually stick construction. <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:DennysOldLogo1.png|225px|thumb|Denny's logo before the "Denny's Diner" experiment]] --> ==Denny's in popular culture== {{Trivia|date=October 2007}} *In the 1994 Christmas movie ''[[The Santa Clause]]'', the characters played by [[Tim Allen]] and [[Eric Lloyd]] eat at a Denny's restaurant on [[Christmas Eve]] after Allen's character singes their home-cooked turkey dinner. He describes the chain as an "American institution," a line that was immediately followed by an interior shot of the restaurant focusing on [[Japanese cuisine|Japanese]] diners. *In the action-comedy [[Bad Boys (1995 film)]], [[Will Smith]] yells at [[Martin Lawrence]] about eating food in his expensive [[Porsche]]. Angered by the spilling of food in his car, Smith shouts "This ain't Denny's!" Lawrence grows angrier with Smith, saying "I wouldn't buy from Denny's. I don't like the way our people've been treated," referencing the racial lawsuits Denny's faced at the time. *A [[Rush Limbaugh]] [[parody]] commercial features "[[Reginald Oliver Denny|Reginald Denny's]]", based on an incident during the [[1992 Los Angeles riots]]. It includes the announcer calling the restaurant "Reginald Lenny's" (before being punched), which was inspired by an elderly customer calling the real chain "Lenny's" in the real commercial. *In the television series [[Married with Children]], the Bundy's celebrate their Christmas dinner at Denny's. *In 1994, [[Buckshot Lefonque]] recorded an instrumental song called "Breakfast at Denny's" which featured small excerpts from [[Jay Leno]]'s routine on the early-1990s [[discrimination]] incident. "Denny's say that they don't discriminate, but you gotta wonder when that chef's hat is pointed..." *In the television series ''[[Family Guy]]'', Peter decides to punish his body by eating at Denny's. In another episode, Brian is shown as overreacting and yelling at a crying baby due to his food being overcooked. In another episode titled "[[Da Boom]]", the family establishes a new town after Quahog is destroyed during [[Y2K]]. Chris Griffin tells the family to build "two Denny's so we can always say, 'Let's not go to that one. Let's go to the good one.'" *Bubba "Whoop-Ass" Wilson of [[The Monsters in the Morning]] wrote and sang a song about the diner called "Drunk at Denny's." *On the [[Simpsons]]' episode "[[Bart Sells His Soul]]", [[Ned Flanders]] expects people at Denny's to have foul language. *In the Haruki Murakami novel [[After Dark (novel)|After Dark]] a character talks about the worth of a civilization that can't toast bread to order (in reference to Denny's). *[[Wally Pleasant]], a folk singer from [[Michigan]], sings about Denny's and a typical late night encounter there in his song "Denny's at 4 A.M.". *In the episode "No Tomorrows for The Captured." From the anime [[Those Who Hunt Elves.]] Ritsuko talks about how the inn they are eating resembles a Denny's *In the [[Jay-Z]] song "Who You Wit II", he says "Never eat at Denny's and party like Little Penny's..." *In the [[VeggieTales]] [[Silly Songs with Larry|Silly Song]] "His Cheeseburger," the character Jerry Gourd tries to get a cheeseburger from a closed drive-thru, but at sunrise decides to get bacon and eggs for half-price at Denny's instead. *In the song "Welcome to the Boomtown", by [[David and David]], talks about a stoner who drops out of college, and who "deals dope out of Denny's, keeps a table in the back". Likely also a minimum wage worker working there. *In ''[[The Sopranos]]'', character [[Paulie Walnuts]] ([[Tony Sirico]]) exclaims in the episode [[Pine Barrens]]; "As soon as we get out of here the first place I'm hittin' is Denny's." == References == {{reflist|2}} ==External links== *[http://www.dennys.com/ Denny's website] *[http://www.dennys.jp/dny/index.html Denny's Japan website] *[http://www.dennyscostarica.com/dennyscostarica.html Denny's Costa Rica website] *[http://dennys.p7a77.net/ Project Denny's: a Denny's travelogue] [[Category:Companies established in 1953]] [[Category:Restaurants in South Carolina]] [[Category:Companies based in South Carolina]] [[de:Denny’s]] [[es:Denny's]] [[id:Denny's]] [[ja:デニーズ]]