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- Denny's #0440
- Carte Madera, California
- 21 May 2002
- 11:50am PST
- 5839 Paradise Drive
- (415) 924-9202
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- Attendees: P7A77, Dave, Branson, Omar, Craig
- Wait-person(s): Marla
- What we ate: P7A77 - Veggie Cheese Omelette (w/ grits & wheat toast), Milk, Orange Juice; Dave - Original Grand Slam (sunny side up), Coffee, Orange Juice; Branson - Original Grand Slam (over easy), Hashbrowns, Orange Juice; Omar - Grand Slam Slugger (lightly scrambled, w/ grits), Milk, Orange Juice; Craig - All-American Slam, Hashbrowns, Orange Juice
- You may be wondering by now what the hell is going on here. Well, I'll tell ya.
- One fine morning (and it was really fine), the crew from KPIX's Evening Magazine stopped by my apartment to do a segment on this whole wacky cesspool of untempered fascination we lovingly refer to as Project: Denny's. I told them that they didn't really want to do that. They said they did. I told them I knew better. They insisted. Then they told me about the car. And the CBS Credit Card. I asked when we could start.
- First they wanted to get a sense of the scope of the whole thing, and have me display some of the swag I've gotten from previous visits. So I set some up. Then I set up the rest. Then I thought about how a lot of the stuff I've gotten has been thrown or given away. Then I reflected upon my adult life. Then I wept quietly to myself.
- But by now it was too late. So we hopped in the Rolls and headed on up north to Marin. We thought yeah, ha-ha, fancy car in front of Denny's, so much ironic humor abounds. Then we got there. Leave it to the fine folks in Marin to have a Rolls Royce dealership across the street from Denny's. Still, that didn't stop them from giving me the red carpet treatment.
- Our waitress, Marla, was pleased as punch to be part of our segment. She even recognized Branson (the cameraman). I think we made her a little nervous. Understandably so. But she was the epitome of good service. Perky, attentive, friendly, and prompt. I got the feeling she would have been that way even if the camera hadn't been there. But hoo-boy she sure did try to sell the camera on the Denny's in Corte Madera. As Dave (the Emmy-winning producer) said, "the service is so good, it's almost scary."
- The food, as is to be expected by a Denny's really trying to look good on television, was possibly the best I've ever tasted at a Denny's. The omelette was light and fluffy and just packed with veggies. The grits were a nice consistency. As Omar (the chauffeur) noted, however, the orange juice was rather watered down. But Craig (the chase-car driver) said it was the best Denny's he'd ever been to in Marin county.
- All in all, a good Denny's with which to start the day.
- WAY: Yes (Terry, no longer employed)
- Free Stuff: Three (3) Sets of Power Rings, Two (2) Daytime Menus, Three (3) Keychains, One (1) Grand Slam Slugger Pin, One (1) Personalized Name Tag
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- Denny's #0296
- Oakland, California
- 21 May 2002
- 1:40pm PST
- 601 Hegenberger
- (415) 638-9632
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- Attendees: P7A77, Dave, Branson, Omar, Craig
- Wait-person(s): Kia
- What we ate: P7A77 - Hashbrowns Covered & Smothered, Coke; Dave - Moons Over My Hammy (w/ Hashbrowns), Iced Tea; Branson - Coke; Omar - Club Sandwich (w/ French Fries), Strawberry Shake; Craig - Vanilla Shake
- They let me drive to this one! Okay, not really. But they did get footage of us inside the car. And in case you were wondering, those seats were awfully comfy. Nice, smooth leather. And when you pushed down on them, it was nothing but cushion. Not too firm, not too soft. It even had armrests. I'm sure some of my appreciation was from being blinded by the brand, but so damn what? It totally ruled the school.
- Unfortunately, this Denny's did not. Kia was great, but that's because she hadn't worked there long and didn't know any better. The manager was a little grumpy at our presence, even though they weren't very busy and we were being quiet in the back corner. She had to call somewhere to make sure it was okay for us to be there. Still, since we were on the teevee, I thought I'd try to get some good stuff. I asked for a rack of water glasses. An entire rack. She didn't seem terribly pleased with that idea. I think she thought she was under instruction by Denny's HQ to do whatever I said, as she had the look of "do I have to?" in her eyes. Any other time she would have laughed in my face. Finally, she produced an entire rack of wine glasses. Wait a minute, you're probably saying to yourselves, they don't serve wine at Denny's. Yes, sillies, that's why she was able to give me a rack of the glasses.
- Kia, through it all, was a good sport, and helped us ham it up for the camera. Craig said it was the best Denny's he'd ever been to in Alameda county.
- WAY: No
- Free Stuff: One (1) Menu, One (1) Rack of Fourteen (14) Wine Glasses
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- Denny's #0284
- South San Francisco, California
- 21 May 2002
- 3:50pm PST
- 2220 Westborough Boulevard
- (650) 873-0252
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- Attendees: P7A77, Dave, Branson, Omar, Craig
- Wait-person(s): Matt (general manager), Mariano (the other manager), Ross (our server), Susan (server), Crissy (server), Bob (the Cook), Maria (the New Girl)
- What we ate: P7A77 - Sampler, Rootbeer (w/ Cherry Sludge); Dave - New & Improved! T-Bone Steak Dinner (medium), Iced Tea; Branson - nothing; Omar - Chicken Strips (w/ Honey Mustard), Sprite; Craig - Tuna Melt, Iced Tea
- It was on the way to this Denny's that Dave started to realize what he had gotten himself into. Ha-ha, he probably had previously thought to himself, we'll take a fun morning going around visiting Denny's. It'll be a hoot. I don't want to say I told him so, but, well, I told him so. The Oakland Denny's had put a sour mood in the air, and we had a ways to go before the next one. Since vintage luxury cars don't run on vegetable oil, we had to gas up before going over the bridge. Then we noticed a lot of gasoline was dripping from underneath the car, but the people at the rental place said it was normal. I don't think, at that point, anyone would have minded being engulfed in flame and molten metal, anyway. Of course, we got lost on the way to the Denny's. We had initially thought of going to six area restaurants, but by now we all agreed that four would probably be more than enough. It was getting to be quite a long day.
- And then we arrived. Several of the staff greeted us at the door. Everyone was extraodinarily friendly. The food arrived quickly and was cooked to perfection (we were so full from the other Denny's we couldn't finish it all, but it did taste very good... kudos to Bob). Not only did I get my usual Rootbeer with cherry sludge, but they let me mix my own. I was able to get the employees to do a "SLAM!" sing-along with me. Even the restrooms smelled good. And not only was there a WAY, but it was the general manager! Score! And oh, the booty we collected! Now, okay, granted there were maybe three other customers in the entire restaurant, and they knew we were coming, and they knew they'd be on the teevee... but as Oakland proved, that don't guarantee squat. Matt was the type of manager who would have joyously gone along with all the shenanigans anyway. It warmed my heart that a Denny's that would have been a good visit regardless was able to be the highlight of this special trip. It sure did lift our spirits for the last leg of the journey. Craig said it was the best Denny's he'd ever been to in San Mateo county.
- So one more shout-out to the fine staff at the South City Denny's. We owe ya one.
- WAY: Yes (Matt, the General Manager)
- Free Stuff: Three (3) Daytime Menus, One (1) Late Nite Menu, (1) Zoob Dude, One (1) Denny's Desk Clock, One (1) Denny's Calculator, One (1) Denny's Watch, One (1) Booster Seat
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- Denny's #6607
- San Francisco, California
- 21 May 2002
- 5:45pm PST
- 495 Beach Street
- (415) 776-3700
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- Attendees: P7A77, Dave, Branson, Omar
- Wait-person(s): Ali
- What we ate: P7A77 - Cherry Cheesecake; Dave - Apple Pie (heated) A La Mode, Milk; Branson - nothing; Omar - Apple Pie (heated) A La Mode, Coffee
- This Denny's is, as they say, teh sux.
- Nobody was pleased to see us. To back up a bit, several dozen Bay area Denny's had been told we might be stopping by. The folks at this place were annoyed that we hadn't been there earlier. Because, I suppose, we have magical control over time and space and are able to be in more than one place at one time. To be fair, Ali was fine. His service was prompt and the desserts were well presented. And, to be even more fair, this is a franchise-owned Denny's (rather than corporate-owned), so any stuff they give us comes out of their own pockets.
- Still, they could have been friendlier. I guess they figure they're in a tourist-heavy part of town (they even had a front desk to reflect this), and attached to a hotel to boot, so they don't have to worry about pesky little things like removing fifteen-year-old advertisements from the walls, or smiling.
- That just made things easier for us. It was a fun and productive day, but we were ready to be done. All told, it took over ten hours of time, almost six hours of videotape, and the depletion of all batteries on hand for the camera. Craig, who had cut out early, said it would have been the best Denny's he'd have ever been to in San Francisco county.
- Poor Craig.
- WAY: undetermined
- Free Stuff: One (1) Fork (stolen by Dave)
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