Denny's facts for kids
Logo since April 2, 2019
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Corporate headquarters in downtown Spartanburg, South Carolina, in July 2012
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Trade name
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Denny's |
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Formerly
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Danny's Donuts Danny's Coffee Shops Denny's Coffee Shops |
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| Traded as | NASDAQ: DENN Russell 2000 Component |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Diner |
| Founded | 1954 (as Danny's Donuts) in Lakewood, California, U.S. |
| Founders | Harold Butler Richard Jezak |
| Headquarters | Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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1,602 |
| Revenue |  US$$541.39 million (2019) |
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Operating income
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 US$164.98 million (2019) |
| US$117.41 million (2019) |
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| Total assets | US$460.387 million (2019) |
| Total equity | −US$138.064 million (2019) |
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Number of employees
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3,110 (2020) |
Denny's Corporation is a famous American restaurant chain. It's known for its diner-style food and for being open all the time. You can find over 1,700 Denny's restaurants in many countries around the world.
Contents
What is Denny's?
Denny's first opened in Lakewood, California, in 1953. It was originally a coffee shop called Danny's Donuts. Denny's became famous for being open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. This meant you could get breakfast, lunch, or dinner anytime you wanted! They even stayed open on holidays, unless local laws required them to close. Many Denny's restaurants are located near highways, making them easy to find for travelers.
Since 1963, Denny's has allowed other people to open restaurants using the Denny's name and recipes. This is called franchising. Most Denny's restaurants today are owned by these independent business owners. Usually, these agreements require the restaurants to be open 24/7. However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some Denny's locations had to close for the first time ever or change their hours.
How Did Denny's Start?
Denny's was started by two people, Harold Butler and Richard Jezak, in 1953. Their first restaurant, called Danny's Donuts, opened in Lakewood, California, in 1954. A few years later, Harold Butler decided to change the donut shop into a coffee shop. He renamed it Danny's Coffee Shops and started keeping it open 24 hours a day.
In the 1950s, special architects designed new buildings for Denny's. These buildings had cool, unique roofs, like a boomerang shape or a zigzag pattern. These designs helped spread a style of architecture called Googie architecture across America. Many Denny's were built near highway exits, which led to them having bigger and bigger signs to attract drivers.
In 1959, Harold Butler changed the name again to Denny's Coffee Shops. This was to avoid confusion with another restaurant chain. Finally, in 1961, the name was shortened to just Denny's. The company grew quickly, and by 1981, there were over 1,000 Denny's restaurants in all 50 U.S. states!
In 1977, Denny's introduced one of its most popular breakfast meals: the Grand Slam breakfast. In 1994, Denny's became a major supporter of Save the Children, a charity that helps kids. Interestingly, almost all Denny's restaurants closed for the first time ever on Christmas Day in 1988. Many of the restaurants were built without locks because they were never meant to close!
Denny's main offices moved a few times. They were in California for a long time, then moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1989. This is where the company's main office is today.
Birthday Meals and Renovations
From 1990 to 1996, Denny's used to offer a free meal to anyone on their birthday. People loved this! But some tried to get more than one free meal, so Denny's had to make rules. Now, since 2009, they offer a free "Birthday Build-Your-Own Slam" breakfast on your actual birthday, with proof of your birth date.
In 1994, Denny's started updating its restaurants with brighter colors and a fresh look. For a short time, some locations even sold Baskin-Robbins ice cream!
Denny's Around the World
Denny's has tried to open restaurants in many countries. They opened their first restaurant in Australia in 1982, but it closed a few years later.
Some Denny's restaurants are designed to look like classic 1950s diners. These are called "Denny's Diners." The first one opened in Florida in 1997. There are about 40 of these special diners in the United States today.
In 2010, Denny's started opening locations inside Pilot Flying J truck stops, which helped them expand across the U.S. They also opened their first airport location in the Dominican Republic in 2012. Denny's even planned to open many restaurants in China, but that deal didn't happen.
In 2014, Denny's opened its first restaurant in New York City. This location was more fancy and even served alcohol. It had a very expensive "Grand Cru Slam" breakfast that cost $300 and came with fancy champagne! This location closed in 2018.
In 2017, Denny's opened its first restaurant in the United Kingdom, in a city called Swansea. They even opened on Christmas Day to serve homeless people before their official opening to the public.
At the end of 2023, there were 1,602 Denny's restaurants worldwide. Most of these are franchises. You can find Denny's in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, New Zealand, Honduras, the UAE, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Guam, El Salvador, Curaçao, and the United Kingdom.
There are also about 578 Denny's restaurants in Japan. These are run by a different company under a special agreement since 1984. The very first Denny's in Japan opened in 1974.
How Clean is Denny's?
In 2004, a TV show called Dateline NBC looked at how clean ten popular restaurant chains were. They checked health inspection records for 100 restaurants over 15 months. Denny's had the fewest problems, with less than one violation per restaurant on average. This means Denny's does a good job of keeping its restaurants clean and safe for customers.
Helping Animals
Denny's has worked with the Humane Society of the United States to make sure animals used for food are treated well. In 2008, Denny's started using cage-free eggs, which means the chickens that lay the eggs are not kept in small cages.
In 2012, the company also said it would work with its suppliers to stop using small pens called gestation crates for pigs. However, they later changed their mind about setting a deadline for this. Because of this, some groups are still asking Denny's to make a stronger promise to stop using these crates.
See also
- List of pancake houses
