Denny’s free Grand Slam a hit in WNY
It was an obvious marketing maneuver — but free food is free food — and thousands of Western New Yorkers were happy to join in the campaign Tuesday, lining up for a free Grand Slam breakfast at many of the 12 Denny’s locations locally.
By 6 a.m., the parking lot and all of the tables were full at Denny’s Delaware Avenue location. In the predawn darkness and light snow, lines of early-risers spilled out of most of the national chain’s area restaurants, which served free Grand Slams from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
One diner, St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute senior Alex Ivancic, got on a bus at about 5:15 a.m. to get his free meal.
“We knew it would be packed; it was already packed when we got here, and we got here before 6,” said CJ Cook, also a senior at St. Joe’s. “I didn’t believe it, I thought there was a catch, but there wasn’t.”
In the eight hours of the promotion, the Delaware Avenue location had given away about 1,000 Grand Slams - a plate of two pancakes, two eggs, two sausage links and two bacon strips normally selling for $5.99 - and 2,000 rain checks, which are good until Feb. 13, according to Vince Prestia, Denny's area manager. Based on reports from the area's other restaurants, they were equally busy. About 12,000 residents took advantage of the offer around Western New York.
“After a while we had the line winding around the building, and when you get to a two-hour wait, it’s no longer worth it,” Prestia said of the Delaware Avenue location. “So we started handing out rain checks to make sure people still took advantage of the offer.”
By noon, the popularity of the one-day offer had surged locally, parking spots were even scarcer and wait times went beyond an hour. At the Maple Road location in Amherst, a lunchtime crowd of 30 people waited outside.
“Denny’s has never done anything like this before,” Prestia said. “Our busiest time of year is Christmas Day, and this was more busy than Christmas. But it was so well-received. It was unbelieveable how well-received it was.”
Denny’s advertised the national campaign with two spots Sunday during the Super Bowl.
Nationally, the total number of breakfasts served was not calculated at press time, but the Spartanburg, S. C.-based Denny’s anticipated up to 2 million people took advantage.
Nine-year-old India Daniels set her alarm clock for 5 a.m. to get there early. Her mother, Sheryl Daniels was thrilled.
“I thought, “Wow, in this economy they’ll be giving away free food,” she said. “I think this is wonderful. You’ve got college kids and people of all ages here. Everybody’s in some kind of situation, and this takes off some of the pressure.”
The free offer at Denny’s became a rare opportunity for many to sit down and have breakfast during a busy week of school and work.
Daniels and her daughters usually grab breakfast as they are preparing for school, but Tuesday they all sat together at a Denny’s table.
“It’s good we can come to Denny’s and have food that’s free,” said 10-year-old Asia.
On a typical school day, CJ, Alex and their other schoolmates wake up at 7:30 a. m. for school and barely have time for a meal. They were so pleased with their experience at Denny’s that they planned a return trip — for the same day.
“We have a two-hour free period and it’s a free meal, so we’re definitely coming back today before 2 p. m.,” said St. Joe’s senior Will Collins.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments