Yes, Denny’s.
Until last weekend, I’d never been to Denny’s. Never. There’s a little history behind that, I think, but I’m into my third year of living outside of comfort zones and trying new things. I’d driven past a Denny’s near my house, on College Town Drive in Sacramento, almost every day for the last eight years, sometimes on my way to grab something to eat somewhere else.
So last Sunday, I decided to give Denny’s a go. I can’t say that my expectations were terribly high, as a quick social media survey suggested that I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.
After a brief wait to be seated, I had trouble settling on brunch items, as several of the pancakes — especially the tres leches ones — were calling me. But as I’d planned to try one of Denny’s ample, delicious looking milkshakes, my husband and I settled on the Fit Fare Skillet, to which I added tortillas, jalapeños and avocado at the suggestion of our excellent server, Arturo. We also tried the loaded veggie omelette to which we also added avocado, and got a side of turkey bacon and some coffee.
Although the food came to our table more quickly than I thought it would, I started to suffer a little buyer’s remorse as other guests welcomed their ENORMOUS hamburgers to their tables. To hell with that milkshake, I thought — I should have gotten a burger!
As soon as our food showed up, I realized that I’d made the right choice. The skillet was gigantic. And it was as piping hot and delicious as it was huge. The veggie omelette was almost as good. The coffee served its purpose, waking us up we set out to help my eldest kid with a furniture move.
And the milk shake? We wound up taking food home — the portions were that big — so that’ll have to wait.
I also want to tell you about the staff at the Denny’s on College Town Drive. In addition to Arturo’s excellent service, Kurt at the front counter was great, and Equity was one of the most charming, helpful hosts I’ve ever experienced. Her smiling face also belied some of that troublesome history I alluded to earlier. If this Denny’s location is any indication of changes made across the chain, Denny’s issues are far in their rear view mirror.
And while we were waiting to be seated, I watched the location’s General Manager, Jeannie, handle a challenging guest with professionalism and care. This writer would have said quite a bit more and done quite a bit less for that customer, which would have not been in Denny’s best interest. Jeannie deftly handled that situation, in front of a lobby full of other guests waiting to be seated.
This weekend, I’m thinking about another new place to try for brunch. But I really want to go back to Denny’s to see how they handle a burger and a shake!
MPC’s favorite Denny’s is at 7900 College Town Drive in Sacramento. Their number is 916-383-7071. Tell ‘em Mike sent ya!
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