One of the few places that will serve you waffles, grits and chicken at 2:00 am while you're whacked out of your gourd. Drunk, stoned or insane this place will serve you as long as you've got money and don't attack other customers.
Denny's began in 1953 when Harold Butler opened Danny's Donuts in Lakewood, California. Danny's did excellent business in the donut trade and several more shops were opened, but within a year it became clear that the customers wanted more. So, in 1954 Danny's expanded the menu to include sandwiches and a few entrees. The stores were renamed to Danny's Coffee shops to reflect the new menu.
In 1959 the small string of stores has become a chain of 20 stores and is renamed again, to Denny's Coffee Shops. In 1967 the store has more than seventy restaurants in seven western states of the US. Not satisfied with that level of success the chain goes international after opening a restaurant in Acapulco, Mexico.
By 1968 Denny's has 192 restaurants and has merged with Sandy's Restaurants, a chain that gives them a foothold on the east coast. In 1977 Denny's introduces the Original Grand Slam Breakfast. To this day it remains their most popular menu item.
By 1981 Denny's has opened over a thousand restaurants and is the nation's leader in family dining. By the end of 1997 Denny's had 1,652 restaurants and more are being built every day.
Through the late eighties and early nineties, Denny's went through some restructuring. They were bought by TW Services Inc, who has since become Advantica Restaurant Group and is one of the largest restaurant companies in the US. In 1991 the company headquarters was moved from its long-time home in Irvine, California to Spartanburg, South Carolina as Advatica centralizes the management.
In 1993, in response to a lot of negative publicity and claims of racist business practices, Denny's signs a Fair Share Agreement with the NAACP in order to provide better employment and business opportunities throughout the company. A similar agreement is signed with the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility in 1995. In 2000 Fortune magazine ranks Advantica as number 1 in "America's Best Companies for Minorities."
Info courtesy of www.dennys.com