Yesterday we stayed dark and cloudy and topped at 57º.
Originally opened as a coffee shop under the name Danny's Donuts in Lakewood, California, Denny's was known for always being open and serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner 24 hours a day. Denny's did not close on holidays and nights, except where required by law. Many restaurants are located near freeway exits, bars, and in-service areas.
Denny's started franchising in 1963, and most Denny's restaurants are now franchisee-owned. Franchise agreements require 24/7 service in most locations. Because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry in the United States, many Denny's had to close for the first time and may now have limited hours of operation.
History
Denny's was founded by Harold Butler and Richard Jezak in 1953, who opened Danny's Donuts in Lakewood, California, in 1954. In 1956, a year after Jezak departed from the six-store chain, Butler changed the concept, shifting it from a donut shop to a coffee shop with store No. 8. Danny's Donuts was renamed Danny's Coffee Shops and changed its operation to 24 hours. During the 1950s, Los Angeles architects Armet & Davis created a new prototype building with a boomerang-shaped roof that became a model for stores built nationwide. They also designed a second prototype in 1965 with a zigzag shingled roof. These designs enabled Googie architecture to spread across America. Many Denny's locations were built near freeway off ramps, leading to increasingly larger signage. In 1959, Butler changed the name from Danny's Coffee Shops to avoid confusion with the Los Angeles restaurant chain Coffee Dan's to Denny's Coffee Shops. In 1961, Denny's Coffee Shops was renamed Denny's. The business continued to expand, and by 1981, there were over 1,000 restaurants in all 50 U.S. states. The company absorbed many of the old Sambo's restaurants and used their mid-century design in some of their restaurants. In 1977, Denny's introduced the still-popular Grand Slam breakfast. In 1994, Denny's became the largest corporate sponsor of Save the Children, a national charity. All but six Denny's closed for the first time ever on Christmas 1988; many restaurants were built without locks, and some had reportedly lost their keys.
Denny's main offices were in La Mirada, California, until 1989. At that time, the office was first moved to Irvine, California, and subsequently moved to the Spartanburg, South Carolina headquarters of the parent company Trans World Corporation (TW Corporation) that acquired Denny's in 1987. In 1992, private equity firm, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired a 47% interest in TW Corporation, later known as The Flagstar Companies, and encouraged the company to sell non-core businesses.[8] On July 12, 1997, Flagstar, Denny's parent company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Eventually, Denny's operations dominated the parent company to such an extent that The Flagstar Companies changed its name again to Denny's Corporation. It trades on the NASDAQ under the DENN symbol.
From 1990 through 1996, Denny's offered a free meal to anyone on their birthday. The offer included limited meal options from a special birthday menu. The promotion began in the 1990s, though occasionally, individual franchises had offered it before that time. Because too many people went to Denny's more than once on their birthdays, the management had to restrict the rules to only one meal per person, per birthday, only on the actual birthday, with proof of legal birth date required, such as a driver's license, other photo ID, or a birth certificate. Since 2009, the restaurant chain has offered a free Birthday Build-Your-Own Slam on the customer's birthday.
In 1994, Denny's began renovating its stores with a lighter color scheme; select locations also began serving Baskin-Robbins ice cream for a short time. Houston, Texas, was the test market for the chain-wide renovation.
Denny's opened its first restaurant in Australia in December 1982, in the suburb of Forest Hill, Melbourne. The Australian franchise was owned by Ansett Australia and expanded into other states throughout the 1980s. However, changing tastes of the Australian consumer led to the sale of the chain in 1989 and its closure shortly after that.
Sudden closures
In June 2017, eight Denny's locations in Colorado, including Colorado Springs and Pueblo, abruptly shut down due to a franchise owner failing to pay nearly $200,000 in back taxes as well as over $30,000 in sales tax from the previous year. In addition, several employees claimed there were issues with accounts not being paid, bounced checks, and paychecks not arriving on time. As a result of the seizure of the eight Denny's locations by the IRS, numerous employees were left without employment and claimed that no advance warning was given regarding the sudden closures. The franchise owner responsible for the closures immediately fled the state of Colorado.
Here is the Denny's in Grants Pass Oregon....
If you want to read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny%27s
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen Brussels sprouts, thawed
- 9 to 10 slices bacon, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- Coarse black pepper for sprinkling
- 1/3 cup fig jam
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Preheat oven to 375º. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Gently squeeze Brussels sprouts with a paper towel to dry. Place one sprout at one end of bacon. Roll up and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pepper.
- Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine jam and mustard; mix well. Drizzle the fig mixture over Brussels sprouts or, set out a bowl of it as a to-die-for dipping sauce.
***Frozen Brussel sprouts work best for this as they are tender enough once thawed without having to steam them before wrapping each one.
As the holidays approach, National Seat Belt Day on November 14th encourages everyone to buckle up to save lives. No matter where you sit in a vehicle, wearing a seat belt is proven to save lives.
Just over 90 percent of Americans buckle up, saving an estimated 15,000 lives each year. However, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 47 percent of passenger fatalities in 2017 were not restrained. Seat belts are proven to reduce the risk of serious injury and save lives.
It’s been 60 years since the invention of the three-point seat belt, and this restraint has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Since then, the industry has added advanced safety devices to automobiles. However, alone, many of these advancements may not save a life unless a seat belt restrains the driver and passengers. Airbags, for example, work most effectively when paired with proper seat belt use. On its own, the force with which an airbag deploys can be fatal without the restraining hold of a seat belt.
During this holiday travel season and every season, be sure everyone buckles up. Everyone safely arriving will be worth celebrating!
HOW TO OBSERVE
Everyone buckle up every time. Drivers, ensure each passenger buckles up, too. No matter if it’s a quick trip to the store or a road trip to see family, before you hit the road, buckle your seat belt. Even when ride sharing, buckling up is just as important. Encourage others to wear their seat belts, too. Let them know how important it is to see them alive and safe. For parents, let your children see you buckling up every time. And when they remind you (because we know they do), listen.
Accidents aren’t ever planned and occur in an instant. There’s never enough time to put on a seat belt as an accident happens, but there is always time before you leave the driveway.
NATIONAL SEAT BELT DAY HISTORY
In 2019, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), Volvo, and Uber teamed up to remind everyone of the importance of buckling up by launching National Seat Belt Day. The first year marked the 60th anniversary of the modern seat belt’s invention, which was created by Volvo.
In 2020, the Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed National Seat Belt Day to be observed on November 14th, annually.
