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Denny's #0404 New Castle, Indiana 17-Mar-96, 10:30am CDT I-70 & State Route 3 (317) 987-7099

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Lori
• What we ate: P7A77 - Coffee; Amie - Moons over My Hammy ("This is definitely the messiest thing in the world to eat"), Coke
• This Denny's was quite busy. It was also a bit weird for me, as it was the first Denny's in a long time where I was there during the daylight hours. The attitudes of the staff were definitely quite different than those of graveyard shift. They seemed a bit put-off at having to deal with freaks this early in the day. They also couldn't quite understand why I would have my own Denny's mug. Lori, our waitress, was sort of impressed and confused by my quest. She never seemed to quite get a handle of what was going on.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Raspberry Nestea coaster (given), silverware set (stolen)

Denny's #0661 Indianapolis, Indiana 17-Mar-96, 11:40am CDT 5251 West Bradbury, near Airport, off Airport Exwy. at Executive (317) 247-4117

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Laura and Rachel (twins)
• What we ate: Nothing
• This Denny's was quite busy as well, and I still hadn't quite adjusted to the fact that I was attending Denny's during the day. I was able to corner Laura and Rachel (the twins) into answering my questions, though. They were a bit frightened, but generally amused. They gave me a Denny's travel directory, and a Denny's PR pamphlet regarding the allegations of racism a couple of years ago.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Travel Directory, Denny's FAQ

Denny's #0871 Terre Haute, Indiana 17-Mar-96, 1:02pm CDT 3442 South US Hwy 41 (Denny's South) (812) 235-5739

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Indy
• What we ate: Nothing
• Indy, our waitress, mentioned that it was her first time on day shift, and that she was usually a graveyard worker, so there was a sort of an instant bond there, but she was still a bit frightened and confused nonetheless. Regardless, it helped to adjust me to the fact that it was sunny out, since I was still trying to get used to that fact. We were able to get a name tag out of them.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: "Dexter" Name Tag

Denny's #0168 Effingham, Illinois 17-Mar-96, 1:15pm CST 1307 N. Keller Dr., I-57 exit 159 (217) 342-4543

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Chris
• What we ate: Coffee
• The Terre Haute Denny's had helped me adjust to the time difference, and this Denny's finished it off. This was perhaps the wackiest Denny's from this trip. Not only did they have a Weird Al working for them, but he was a manager, and he was there at the time. I even got a picture with him. The waitresses told us that they like to call each other "goon", and Kevin, the manager, was the high goon ("Heil the High Goon"). Kevin was so cool, in fact, that he gave us a free name tag without us even having to ask for anything. The cook, however, seemed to be just generally annoyed by us, and kept throwing us dirty looks.
• WAY: Yes (Kevin, the High Goon)
• Free Stuff: Denny's Balloon, "Trainee" Name Tag

Denny's #1295 Collinsville, Illinois 17-Mar-96, 2:50pm CST 522 Ramada Blvd, I-55/70 at Rt. 157 (618) 345-8995

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Undetermined
• What we ate: Water
• This is a pretty slick-lookin' Denny's, what with the neon lighting in the inside and all. It had a certain "diner" feel to it. Additionally, it had a Baskin' Robbin's inside. The waitress was quite feisty. When I asked for water, she asked me if I wated ice in that, because "we charge for ice". Also, when I asked where we were so that I could check it off in my travel directory, she said "You're at Denny's". We were able to get the upper hand with her, though, once we explained why we were there and what we were doing. After that, the wait-staff in general seemed pretty flipped out by us. The manager was quite friendly and helpful, though. As we were sipping our water, we happened to chat with the gentleman sitting next to us at the counter. He told us that he had met his wife at this Denny's fifteen years previous. Ain't that sweet?
• WAY: Yes (Steve - works dishes)
• Free Stuff: Dessert Promotional Menu Insert

Denny's #0677 St. Louis, Missouri 17-Mar-96, 3:30pm CST 1515 S. Hampton Ave, I-44 & Hwy 40, near Zoo (314) 645-1754

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Dade
• What we ate: P7A77 - $1.99 Grand Slam (eggs o/e), Wheat Toast, Coffee, Large Orange Juice; Amie - $2.99 Burger Basket, Fries, Water
• This Denny's was exceptionally busy, especially considering the time of day it was. Maybe all the green beer from St. Patrick's Day was making everyone hungry for Grand Slams. Then again, maybe not. It took a while to get service, and Dade, our waiter, was a bit boring at first. He warmed up later on, though. He was the Weird Al lookalike of this Denny's, and when we asked if he was a manager, he said he turned down the position because he didn't want to work 60 hours a week for a measly $22,000 a year. What a guy. It's good to hold on to your ideals like that. This Denny's also had a Baskin' Robbin's inside. It was also the first Denny's that had a waiter (as opposed to a waitress) since I started this quest.
• WAY: Yes (Dade)
• Free Stuff: Flagstar Brand Vomit Clean-Up Kit (complete with bio-hazzard bag)

Denny's #1555 St. Louis, Missouri 17-Mar-96, 4:35pm CST 10575 Watson Rd., South City Mall (314) 821-1935

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Craig
• What we ate: Nothing
• Not only was this Denny's difficult to find (the Denny's sign was in front of a motel, and we had to drive behind the motel and around a corner to find the damn place), but they were snobby as shit (pardon my French). The customers were making comments to each other about us, and the staff wasn't too keen on us, either. We were still able to get a Breakaway Value Menu out of them, but I think it was because they were afraid to give us anything less. Fear can be a good thing sometimes.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Breakaway Value Menu

Denny's #1048 Fenton, Missouri 17-Mar-96, 4:40pm CST 1096 S. Highway Drive (314) 343-1480

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Niki
• What we ate: Nothing
• I really don't remember anything from this Denny's, and quite franky, I was getting a bit sick of stopping every few minutes just to get some crappy free thing. At least the cook let me wear his hat for the photo.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Minute Maid Pin

Denny's #2011 Rolla, Missouri 17-Mar-96, 6:00pm CST 1811 N. Bishop, 1 block south of US Hwy 63 at I-44 (314) 364-4449

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Dawn
• What we ate: Chocolate Milkshakes
• This was generally a fairly good Denny's experience. They were over-staffed (staved?) because they were expecting a big rush from St. Patrick's Day, but other than a couple way in the back, we were the only customers in the restaurant. The milkshakes were very rich and quite good. Since everyone was there and nobody was working, we were able to get a picture with most of the staff (except for a couple of cooks). Even though they were quite friendly and happy to see us, the only free stuff we got was stuff that they give away free anyway. Bastards.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Kid's Meal stickers and crayon

Denny's #0816 Springfield, Missouri 17-Mar-96, 7:45pm CST 2823 Glenstone, I-44 exit 80-A, right on first service road (417) 866-1921

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Undetermined
• What we ate: P7A77 - Coke with cherry sauce; Amie - Coke
• We had been on the road for almost twelve hours (including stops) by the time we got here, and we were getting a bit tired. Our evening was brightened, though, by a large family sitting near us. They seemed rather put off by my choice in hair colouring, and were pointing and laughing. I thought about getting a picture with them, but not only were they large in number, they were also large in size, so I opted to instead get a photo with my soda.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Minute Maid Pin

Denny's #0533 Joplin, Missouri 17-Mar-96, 9:10pm CST 3602 Range Line Rd., I-44 exit 8-B (417) 781-8724

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Saundra
• What we ate: Nothing
• Nothing much to say about this Denny's, except that we slept in the parking lot for a few hours before pushing on forth into Oklahoma. We were very happy that nobody broke into our van and killed us. If you don't want to get killed while sleeping in a Denny's parking lot, this is the place to go.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Denny's greeting card

Denny's #0482 Tulsa, Oklahoma 18-Mar-96, 2:00am CST 11720 E. 11th St. at I-44 (918) 437-3586

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Angela
• What we ate: P7A77 - Seasoned Fries w/BBQ sauce, Coke; Amie - Coke
• Our waitress never seemed to quite get the hang of us, which is odd for a graveyard shift worker. They're usually used to freaks and weirdos, and I would think that they'd be relieved that we weren't the big burly drunk variety of freaks and weirdos, but rather the friendly happy hippie sort. Anyway, she seemed intrigued overall, and practically hovered over us as we ate. Maybe she liked the way we smelled after being in a stuffy van for 18 hours. It was a bitch to get free stuff out of them, and even though we tried to get an orange juice carafe, we had to settle for some styrofoam take-out boxes. The Coffee "Vacket" was cool, tho'.
• WAY: Yes (Jehad "Jijo" - unit aide [not quite a manager, but close])
• Free Stuff: Take-out Menu, Styrofoam Box and Cup, Denny's Coffee "Vacket"

Denny's #4810 Tulsa, Oklahoma 18-Mar-96, 2:40am CST 4810 S. Yale at I-44 (918) 496-1423

• Attendees: P7A77
• Wait-person(s): Dolly (manager)
• What we ate: Nothing
• Dolly couldn't seem to find anything to give me, so she stamped the back of a bandaid with the local information on it. At least she tried. At both of the Tulsa Denny's I visited, though, the person answering my questions, after finding out what I was doing, tried to get me to go to the other three Denny's in Tulsa, even after I explained that I was merely passing through town and not looking to stay more than necessary. Maybe they need the entertainment or something.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Lastoband brand Regular Adhesive Fingertip Dressing (2"x3/4") - Ventilated, Flexible, Fabric, Sterile

Denny's #1352 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 18-Mar-96, 6:55am CST 8301 South I-35 (405) 631-3405

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Judy
• What we ate: Coffee
• We got to this Denny's shortly after taking a two hour nap on the side of the interstate, so we were a bit groggy. I received my third Minute Maid button here.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Minute Maid Button (with stickers attached)

Denny's #6815 Norman, Oklahoma 18-Mar-96, 7:35am CST 2535 W. Main St. (405) 360-8754

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Betty
• What we ate: Nothing
• A cloudy dawn in Oklahoma. This Denny's had a sort of funky postmodern entrance to it, but nothing worth getting terribly excited about. Betty, the woman who answered our questions, was not amused by us. She gave us the fourth Minute Maid pin from this trip.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Minute Maid Pin

Denny's #6605 Ardmore, Oklahoma 18-Mar-96, 8:45am CST 2705 Broadway unknown

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Janice
• What we ate: P7A77 - Cheddar Cheese Omelet with English Muffin, Coffee; Amie - Two Egg Breakfast (over easy) with Ham and Biscuit, Orange Juice
• This Denny's is relatively new (spring, 1994), and is quite slick looking. It's got a spiffy glass-block entrance way, special dining rooms, an aquamarine and maroon colour scheme (tho' I prefer yellow and brown), and it's connected to a Holiday Inn. It received the Rennovation of the Year award in 1995, but when I asked who exactly awarded this honour, the waitress wasn't sure. So for all I know it could've been the manager's cousin Phil who decided upon this. It is nice, though.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Denny's Tie Clip

Denny's #6317 Gainesville, Texas 18-Mar-96, 9:55am CST 1938 I-35 (817) 665-2565

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Gayla (manager)
• What we ate: Nothing
• When I asked the manager where I was, she said, quite proudly, "You're in Gainesville, TEXAS". The "no concealed handguns" sign next to the front door helped drive home the fact that I was finally in Texas. Gayla, the manager, was great, and gave us a tie clip (like the ones the cooks wear), a Coke pin, and a four-foot tall "Lunch Baskets" poster. Hell, I was expecting another damned Minute Maid pin.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: Denny's Tie Clip, Coke Pin, Lunch Basket Promotional Poster

Denny's #0337 Denton, Texas 18-Mar-96, 10:35am CST 4007 I-35 (817) 382-9033

• Attendees: P7A77, Amie
• Wait-person(s): Undetermined
• What we ate: Nothing
• Even though this Denny's was extremely busy, they were very friendly with me, especially considering I wasn't buying anything. Ah, Denton, the Home of Happiness. A fitting city to end a 24-hour trek across the country.
• WAY: No
• Free Stuff: "Save the Children" Button

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