If you visited a Denny’s restaurant yesterday you now have proof that Super Bowl commercials work - especially when they advertise something free. During Sunday’s big game the Denny’s advertised a free Grand Slam breakfast between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday at all its restaurants in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. People lined up and waited for as long as two hours. Some customers were still wearing their pajamas and slippers, and strangers were sharing booths.
Denny's called the promotion a little "economic stimulus" for the average hardworking person. And that this is their way of reacquainting customers with Denny's real breakfast and with the Denny's brand. I am not so much of a Denny’s fan but I occasionally ate there when I lived in California. There are Denny’s in Texas, but not one close to where I live.
A lot of restaurants have been going out of business and it would seem Denny’s is aggressively going after the business. In this economy, businesses have to be creative to attract new customers. Denny’s says their objective is to rekindle awareness of their brand and remind people of the high-quality and good value of the famous Grand Slam breakfast offered at Denny’s.
The Grand Slam breakfast consists of two pancakes, two eggs, two strips of bacon and two sausage links. It weighs in at 44 grams of fat, 56 carbohydrates and 770 calories. The Grand Slam started as a baseball-related promotion in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-1970s and has been served chain wide since 1977. Its normal price varies by market but averages around $5.99.
The meal was free but customers were ordering drinks and other foods and gave tips so Denny's did not come out of the day empty handed. And there are reports that Denny’s in some places like Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania charged $.99 for each Grand Slam if you didn't order something else like a cup of coffee which cost $1.75 or orange juice for $2.50. Some places were serving about 110 people an hour and with just $1 per person that’s almost $900 for the 8 hours. But they are expected to make their money some way. They are a for profit business after all.
On a low note, one senior citizen reported this episode: “standing in line ...a college girl kept referring to the disabled parking spot that was open as the ‘Rockstar’ special parking and wondering why people did not take advantage of it. And the straw that broke the camels back was when she referred to the spot as Handi-crapped. Mind you I was right if front of her and I was holding unto a ‘walker’... she must have forgotten her brain and manners. And I Said ‘Excuse me!’...and she immediately apologized left and right ...but at that point after listening to her for a few minutes it seemed a bit lame.
That was an exception as most people said they enjoyed their free breakfast and met some very nice people while standing in line or eating. They also said the servers were good despite the rush. One person said the place was packed so he went next door to IHOP, but he said it got him out of bed early. He thought other food chains should try it. Maybe President Obama should talk to the person that came up with this stimulus plan and put them to work on his plan. This kind of promo is good all the way around. It makes people happy and they interact in a positive way with people they have never met before and it might be a big gain for Denny's in the long run.
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