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Denny's #7070 Atlanta, Georgia 25 December 1998 7:10pm EST 1860 Corporate Square Blvd. NE, off I-85 in the Industrial Park (404) 321-1099

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Cecil
• What we ate: P7A77 - Half of a slice of Keylime Pie; Amie - The other half of a slice of Keylime Pie
• The directory says that this Denny's is off I-85 in the Industrial Park, leading one to believe that either the Denny's is easy to see from the highway, or the Industrial Park is easy to find right off the exit. Neither is true. We drove around in every single business complex area that we could find - on either side of the highway - and couldn't find Corporate Square Blvd. We did find a litter of abandoned kittens in the woods behind a hotel, which made us sad. It looked as if someone was leaving food for them every few days, though, so that was good. A local raccoon thought it was good, too, as it seemed to have made itself at home with the cats.
• Finally we gave up and asked for directions. When we entered, we were greeted by the Good Advice Of The Day: "A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned". Me, I say a penny saved is a gumball.
• We initially ordered the lemon meringue, and Cecil very much approved of our order. Then he came back and told us they were out. No matter, the Keylime was very good, too. It even looked better than it does in the photos. When we got up to pay, there was a problem with the cash register or something, so Cecil just approximated the total and we paid him in cash. Upon further reflection, I realized that dessert orders are gotten by the waitstaff and not from the kitchen, so they don't need to go through the computer system. Cecil probably just pocketed the cash. Oh, well. He deserved it.
• I happen to think that the photo from this trip is one of the better I've taken (right up there with me in the chef's hat in front of the Mother Butler Pie sign from a few years ago... and both photos taken by Amie). You can't tell in the photo, but I was wearing my beautiful multi-colored Denny's necktie that was sent to me as a gift from jstern@slonet.org. Just a shameless reminder that I'm always open to gifts of cash and merchandise.
• After visiting this Denny's we went to Centennial Park (since we were tourists). If you haven't been there, they have a fountain in the shape of the Olympic Rings. It's level with the ground, so you can walk through it. The water shoots up at seemingly random intervals, so if you're not careful you could get stuck in the middle of a ring or get a shot of cold water up your crotch. But then again, some people probably get "stuck" on purpose. Anyway, it was very cold out and I thought all the people running through the fountain were nuts. And of course I had to join them.
• Oh, and the helium tank next to the cash register (at Denny's, not the fountain) was covered with a Space Jam blanket.
• WAY: There was a guy who had the same glasses, but that's about it.
• Free Stuff: Christmas Table Display (stolen)

Denny's #7066 Atlanta, Georgia 27 December 1998 3:05pm EST 1935 Piedmont Circle at I-85 (404) 874-4522

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie, ADYONKA, Fern Peterson
• Wait-person(s): Ritch (host), Randy (waiter)
• What we ate: P7A77 - Chicken Quesadilla (no guacamole), Coffee; Amie - Water; ADYONKA - Applesauce, Wheat Toast (dry), Diet Coke; Fern - Sampler (w/Ranch), Coke
• A friend of mine from college goes to school in Atlanta, and he was pleased as could be to go with me to an area Denny's. And he had a rough idea of where it was located, too, so that was helpful.
• The waiter was wearing some sort of cowboy priest outfit. That would've been weird enough, but while he was taking our order, he was standing at the booth next to us. There was nobody in that booth, so we were pretty sure that he was talking to us. It was like a covert operation. Knock three times if you want your drink with no ice. On the other hand, the booth did seem exceptionally small, so maybe his aim was just off. I had to request that my quesadillas not come with guacamole a few times before a light finally went off in his head and he said, "Oh, Guac." And apparently to him, "Guac" also means "Sour Cream", because I didn't get any of that, either. ADYONKA's toast was dry (as he requested), but it also had a little piece of some sort of meat on it. It looked like chicken. I told him to hold it between his knees. He didn't get it.
• While we were eating, we noticed an overly made-up waitress with a scarf around her neck sorting silverware. She was also wearing clip-on earrings (she took one off to answer the phone). When we got up to get our photo, we asked her to be in it with us. She refused, but offered to take it for us (after joking that it was "cash up front"). In order to get the proper angle, she had to get down on her knees, about which she had no qualms doing. When she saw that we were holding the oversized suckers in the photo, she commented that if it was a photo with suckers, maybe she should be in it.
• For those of you who need it spelled out:
  1. Overly made-up
  2. Scarf around the neck
  3. "Cash up front"
  4. On her knees
  5. Sucker
• That's right... this Denny's waitress was a drag queen. And quite a good one, too. Took a while for us to notice. Now I wish she had been in the photo with us.
• After visiting Denny's, we went up to Marietta to see the Big Chicken. I only wished I had known about this sight of a site before visiting the Marietta Denny's. Oh, well. We also got to grab a shot with the Colonel. If you're ever in the Atlanta area, do yourself a favor and visit the Big Chicken.
• All in all a very entertaining Denny's trip, mostly due to the hosting services of ADYONKA. Thanks, ADYONKA!
• WAY: Yes
• Free Stuff: Coke Display (stolen)

Denny's #7072 Decatur, Georgia 25 December 1998 5:00pm EST 4650 Memorial Dr. off I-185 (404) 294-1125

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Marlana
• What we ate: P7A77 - Turkey Holiday Feast; Amie - Ham Holiday Feast
• This Denny's was extremely busy, and very few people seemed to be working. So much for Brant's little theory about people getting fired if they didn't work on Christmas. But then again, maybe a lot of people got fired. It's more likely that Denny's is a franchise company and that every store sets its own rules with regards to that sort of thing.
• There were several groups of people in front of us, so we had some time to kill in the lobby. I decided to try to win a stuffed gorilla. I noticed the sign on the machine that gave the prices for the game. One game was fifty cents, two games were a dollar, and ten games were five dollars. What a bargain! And what a leap of mathematics! Why, I bet twenty games are ten dollars and forty-seven games are twenty-three dollars and fifty cents. I didn't win a stuffed gorilla. But while I was preoccupied with the machine several people in front of us left (I don't think it was because of me), so we were able to be seated a bit sooner.
• This was the first time that either Amie or I ever ordered from the dinner menu at Denny's, and it will probably be a long time until we order from the dinner menu again. The food was less than satisfactory. The meat was cold, the gravy was lousy, and half of the food items promised on the menu (i.e., stuffing and cranberries) were nowhere to be seen.
• The helium tank next to the cash register was covered with children's bedsheets with pictures of flying disk drives and the like.
• WAY: Undetermined
• Free Stuff: Nothing

Denny's #7073 Dunwoody, Georgia 25 December 1998 2:30am EST 1888 Cotillion Dr., access road off I-285 (770) 393-1171

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Tim (also host, cook, and cashier)
• What we ate: P7A77 - Coffee, Hashbrowns Covered & Smothered; Amie - Water, Bagel with Cream Cheese
• We got off the freeway one exit too early and went all the way through Dunwoody until we got to the Denny's, which ended up being right off the following freeway exit. When we got there, it looked closed. The outside sign was turned off, and inside there was just one group at a corner booth, and they looked like there were employees having some sort of meeting. I never stopped to think that they probably wouldn't be having an employee meeting at 2:30 in the morning on Christmas day, but after Brant's words on management policy, anything was possible.
• Tim was sitting at the counter when we arrived. He wasn't in any sort of Denny's garb, so I thought he might be a customer. Of course, I was still thinking they were closed and having an employee meeting, so this just added to my overall confusion. He told us that they were open and sat us. He hinted that a waiter would eventually be with us (since he was the cook), but he took our drink orders. Then he brought us our drinks and took our food orders. Then he brought us our food and gave us our check. Then he took our money when we went to the cash register. We asked Tim why he wasn't a manager, and he laughed and said that it was because being a manager sucks (or words to that effect). We've gotten this answer more than once from exceptional employees to whom we've asked that question.
• The food was very good, but I should note that while my hashbrowns were covered, they were by no means smothered. Amie would like it to be known that she found the toilet seat to be very cold..
• WAY: Not in ten years (the amount of time Tim had been working there)
• Free Stuff: New (and much needed) Travel Directory!

Denny's #6376 Garden City, Georgia 26 December 1998 5:55pm EST 4200 Augusta Rd., Hwy. 21 N Exit 19 (912) 966-1500

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Kaiser (manager)
• What we ate: Nothing
• After two less than stellar Denny's, we needed a pick-me-up, especially since this was the last Savannah area Denny's. When we saw still yet another freaky Denny's/Hotel marraige, our hopes were not high. We hadn't seen so many bizarre Denny's in a row since Vegas. But Kaiser delivered. He was overly friendly and answered all our questions, and he did it with no voice. It seemed a painful effort for him to speak, and he never missed a beat. When we asked for something free, he just handed over a menu without blinking. What a guy.
• WAY: Recently Hired Manager (maybe)
• Free Stuff: Menu

Denny's #7068 Macon, Georgia 26 December 1998 8:15pm EST 2530 Riverside Dr. at I-75, on access road (912) 745-5071

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie, Rachel Graham
• Wait-person(s): Nora
• What we ate: P7A77 - Chicken Quesadilla (no guacamole, extra sour cream), Coffee, Water; Amie - All-American Slam (all sausage - no bacon in Macon), White Toast, Water; Rachel - Home-Made Spaghetti (made by the manager, John)
• This is what Denny's is all about. When we arrived, the place was packed to the gills. Not an open table in sight. We were thinking we'd be stuck at the counter, which wouldn't be so bad, except that we wanted to kick back and relax for a while after the hellish drive from Savannah. Anyway, while we were standing in the lobby weighing our options when a woman came up to us, told us that she had a booth but that her friends weren't going to be there for quite some time, and asked if we wanted to sit with her. A regular. Inviting me to her table. Hot damn you betcha I want to sit with her! (And hell, it beat waiting around for forty minutes.)
• Her name was Rachel, and she showed us a few of the sights. The wall by her head had stab marks from a butter knife. The painting by the booth had some creamer stains. She was eating spaghetti that had been made by the manager and brought in for the staff (even though she's not an employee). She said the regulars are always getting special menu items and freebies and whatnot. And as most of you loyal readers know, finding a Denny's these days that's kind to its young punk regulars is difficult.
• Before we left, we exchanged a few food combination favorites. She suggested mayonnaise with french fries (always a favorite of mine), but also said that either ranch dressing or sour cream (not both together) are good on seasoned fries. I usually get barbecue sauce with my seasoned fries, so I'll have to try that.
• So if you're ever in town (perhaps checking out their local baseball team, the Macon Whoopie... I'm not kidding), check out the Denny's. Rachel's booth was in the corner by the phones and bathrooms. Even if you don't like it, it was a perfect way to end a long day's trek around Georgia.
• WAY: Matt (not an employee - one of the regulars)
• Free Stuff: Orange Juice Carafe insert (given by Rachel)

Denny's #7065 Marietta, Georgia 25 December 1998 2:00am EST 2375 Delk Rd. at I-75 (770) 952-2129

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Tony, Mayceo
• What we ate: Nothing
• We talked primarily with Tony the exceedingly gay waiter (in case you couldn't tell by the photo), and Mayceo overheard us. She asked us if this was some sort of joke. We asked if he wouldn't mind giving us an order pad, because I neglected to bring with me any paper, and I was tired of writing on napkins. They were more than eager to be in the photo (in case you couldn't tell).
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Order Pad

Denny's #7071 Norcross, Georgia 25 December 1998 3:15am EST 5534 Jimmy Carter Blvd., near Cub Foods (770) 448-8762

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Sandra (not Cyprus, as it said on the ticket), Jennifer (the manager)
• What we ate: P7A77 - Coke, Biscuits & Gravy; Amie - Coke, Hashbrowns
• Sandra was overly pleased with (tho' rather timid about) my placing a beverage order. "I'll have a Coke." "Thank You!!" It was almost as if my placing an order was a relief to her. I'm not sure what else she thought I was going to do. Later we found out that she had only been working at this Denny's for forty-five minutes. Ever. She mentioned something about how she usually worked at the Tucker Denny's, and said it in a way that suggested we were supposed to know what that meant. We just smiled and nodded and left it at that. Didn't want her pleasure with us going horribly wrong.
• While we were eating, we noticed a really cool 3-D Coke and Orange Juice display on the table. We were getting a "no free stuff" vibe from this place, so Amie suggested I just put it under my jacket. So I did.
• On the way out, we decided to grab a photo next to the All Dogs Christmas Carol display. Both Sandra and Jennifer (the manager) saw us doing this, and both ran right over to be in the photo. They sure do get all worked up and excited over the silliest little things at this Denny's.
• WAY: Undetermined
• Free Stuff: Coca-Cola Table Display

Denny's #6893 Richmond Hills, Georgia 26 December 1998 4:15pm EST 3944 Hwy. 175, Exit 14 on I-95, just south of Savannah (912) 756-6889

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Lisa (waitress), Tiffany (manager)
• What we ate: P7A77 - Strawberry Milkshake; Amie - Oreo Milkshake
• Just what we needed after the lackluster Abercorn Denny's! The minute I walked in the door, the manager offered to go and buy me a new shirt if I was willing to trade my Denny's shirt for it. We felt right at home. Even though we only ordered milkshakes, we stayed there a while to relax and talk. I might've traded my shirt if Tiffany had been able to provide another Denny's clothing item, but alas she was not. She did give me a die-cut Major League Burger menu. It has little opening windows inside for the various burger choices. The perfect complement to my Skillet Menu. But to Tiffany's chagrin, I still wouldn't give her the shirt.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Major League Burger Menu

Denny's #7089 Savannah, Georgia 26 December 1998 2:45pm EST 6801 Abercorn Street (912) 352-3782

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Tasha
• What we ate: P7A77 - Gardenburger, French Fries, Coffee, Water; Amie - Gardenburger, French Fries, Unsweetened Iced Tea
• Initially we were going to go south of Atlanta, getting Macon and Columbus and the various Denny's around those cities. But then we decided to go to Savannah instead. And thank goodness for the new Denny's Travel Guide! For those who haven't seen it, they have descriptions of a lot of those word games you played as a kid but that have long since buried themselves in the dark recesses of your memory. We played them during most of the trip (mostly "I Like / Dislike", "Who Am I?", and "Funny Bunny"). In "Funny Bunny", the object is to think of a phrase with rhyming words and then give a "definition clue" from which the other players have to guess your phrase. For instance, "Funny Bunny" is the answer to "Amusing Rabbit". You get the idea. One definition clue Amie came up with was "Finicky Prostitute".
• Aside from enjoying the travel games, we also took in the Georgia scenery. What we saw of it was pretty boring, but it was overcast the whole time, so maybe it looks more idyllic in sunshine. There were plenty of signs advertising honey and peanuts, but no signs advertising honey roasted peanuts. There were also quite a few junkyards and I saw several beautiful buses, which just made me long for the days when driving Das Büs was a regular occurrence for me. Sigh.
• Savannah itself was stinky. It smelled like it could stand to be washed and aired out for a while. But, again, it was overcast, so maybe it's better in the sun. The "squares" and houses in the area were nice enough, I suppose. We might've gone on a tour if the weather was better.
• After driving through Savannah we arrived at our first Denny's for the day. It was fairly nice inside. It might have even been able to pass for a real restaurant if there hadn't been so much garbage all over the floor. Plus, the waitress was rude. Since I had never tried a vegetarian meal at Denny's I decided to go for the Gardenburger. When I ordered, the waitress had to first check to make sure they had them. When it arrived, it was sans cucumber and the low-fat dressing. I asked if it was supposed to come with all that (knowing full well that it is), and the waitress said no. I was able to get her to bring me some honey mustard dressing on the side, but I doubt it was their low-fat variety. Amie liked the Gardenburger. I thought it was okay, but not something I would get regularly. But I was also in a bad mood because of my lack of cucumber, so maybe I'll give it a second chance some day. But I will not be giving this Denny's a second chance. Granted, I will probably never be in Savannah again, but it was a poor dining experience.
• By the way, it's "Choosy Floozy".
• WAY: Undetermined
• Free Stuff: Nothing

Denny's #6598 Savannah, Georgia 26 December 1998 5:00pm EST 1 Gateway Blvd., I-95 Exit 16 (912) 920-4800

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Renay, Natasia, Platina
• What we ate: Nothing
• Many Denny's are connected to hotels, but this Denny's had the hotel check-in right in the restaurant. Very odd. I tried to capture this in the photo, but it didn't come out. Just try to imagine a big Best Western counter behind the people. Renay spoke with us when we first arrived. She had only been working two weeks and was glad to have worked on Christmas because she made a lot in tips. When we asked for free stuff, she sort of freaked out and went to get someone else, who then in turn took a long time coming up with something. By this time Renay had run away, and we asked someone to go get her. That person couldn't find her, so several people starting yelling all over the restaurant for her. After about five minutes she came out, looking less than thrilled.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Table Display

Denny's #7074 Smyrna, Georgia 25 December 1998 1:09am EST 2540 Cobb Pkwy., off I-285 (770) 953-9060

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Brent (host), Brant (waiter)
• What we ate: P7A77 - Coffee, Sampler; Amie - Hot Chocolate, Mozzarella sticks from P7's Sampler
• This is the first new Denny's I attended in close to a year. I didn't want it to be. I had planned on going to a bunch of Denny's in the Miami area in early September. (I was going there for other reasons, but I extended my stay for the purposes of Denny's visits... that's how much I care about you, my loyal readers. Really.) Unfortunately, that big freakin' hurricane was scheduled to hit Florida on the exact day I was scheduled to hit Florida, even tho' I made my plans first. Stupid hurricane. You may be wondering why this is relevant. Why is this guy telling you about Denny's he didn't even visit? Shouldn't he be getting on to the Denny's at hand? You're probably wondering this even more if you're reading this entry through the Alphabetical or Numerical index instead of the intended Chronological index. And by now you're probably just hoping that I'll shut up about it completely.
• Well, you ungrateful impatient people, this is relevant because I was scheduled to go to Atlanta via Chicago the night of December 24. (For those of you who are aware that I live in Arizona, it seems rather odd that I would fly to Georgia via Illinois, but I don't write the schedules.) The weather had been pretty mild all winter. By December 23 I was getting pretty excited. Then I turned on the news. Not only was Chicago getting a whole bunch of snow and ice, but Atlanta was having some sort of record snowfall or some such. But thankfully, aside from a mild delay, all was well and I was able to go. (Ironically, if I had been flying through Dallas, I wouldn't have been so lucky, since all flights through there were canceled, so I thanked American Airlines for their bizarre scheduling.)
• Moving on.
• This was a pretty good Denny's visit to start off a fairly long string of visits. Nothing terribly spectacular happened, but it was an enjoyable experience overall. When we walked in, we noticed two distinct sections: the Alternateen section and the Scary Fat People section. We were seated in the Alternateen section by Brent.
• Service was fairly prompt and friendly. We chatted with Brant a bit, and learned that he was from Akron, Ohio, and had been planning on moving back, but he had recently gotten a speeding ticket, so was stuck in Smyrna. When asked about how he felt about working on Christmas, he said that he had no choice, as management stated that anyone who didn't work on Christmas would be fired. We also learned that he was roommates with Brent.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Holiday Menu, Beverages

Denny's #7078 Tucker, Georgia 25 December 1998 4:35pm EST 1817 Mountain Industrial at I-285 at State Rt. 78 (Stone Mountain) (770) 491-1302

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): N/A
• What we ate: N/A
• And then Sandra's comments made sense. From the highway I saw the blackened sign. I knew nothing good could come of it. We drove into the parking lot and saw that there was a message taped to the door. We feared the worst - that the Denny's had closed down. But no! It was simply a notice that they were remodeling, and a suggestion of other area Denny's to visit. Of course, depending on your point of view, this could be bad news, as it means that the lovely brown and yellow decor will be replaced with one of the new more "modern" color schemes, and the road sign will no longer have the older funkier logo. So, in effect, this Denny's has closed down. The king is dead. Long live the king.
• WAY: N/A
• Free Stuff: N/A

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