'A bold move': Denny's invites America for a free breakfast
— -- The restaurant chain is giving away the Grand Slam, which has pancakes, eggs, bacon strips and sausage links, to any customer Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. The Grand Slam is normally $5.99.
Denny's has promoted the freebie heavily, with a 30-second ad that aired during the third quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday, another 15-second ad during the post-game show and a full page ad in USA TODAY's Monday editions. The company reported 14 million visits to its website between Sunday night and Monday morning.
With the promotion only underway a few hours, spokeswoman Cori Rice said restaurants in Miami, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles were reporting long lines and other locations said they were busy but under control.
The company expects up to 2 million people to take advantage of the deal. Rice says each restaurant can turn out about 100 Grand Slams an hour.
Denny's, which has more than 1,500 locations, sells more than 12.5 million Grand Slam breakfasts a year.
As consumers continue to pull back during the recession, the breakfast market has become increasingly focused on value meals to grab those still willing to spend.
Denny's says it is trying to change perceptions that it is a place for a sit-down breakfast that will take a long time. It can provide breakfasts to go and have food prepared within 10 minutes if the customers want fast service, according to Rice.
How the giveaway played out across the country:
Hollywood
With long blue hair and studded piercings in his nose, lips and tongue, Aaron Revivo knows what it means to be bold. And as he chomped through his free Grand Slam breakfast, he had nothing but praise for Denny's
"I think it's a bold move by Denny's — very bold," he said, having demolished the sausage and bacon and moving on to the scrambled eggs and pancakes. "It is indeed grand."
Revivo, 22, a retail clerk, waited 25 minutes for the pleasure, and since he lives close by, is a regular Denny's customer anyway. He usually orders the meat lover's omelette.
On a busy corner in North Hollywood, not far from the most famous movie lots, Revivo was one of an eclectic collection of people who showed up early for a free breakfast. Just about everyone said they lived in the neighborhood.
