Attendees: P7A77, John "Adder" Fink, J-R Little, Kasey Princell
Wait-person(s): Tanya
What we ate: P7A77 - Seasoned Fries with BBQ Sauce, Root Beer with Cherry Sauce; Adder - Southern Slam, Eggs Scrambled, Water; J-R - Root Beer Float, Fries (split with Kasey); Kasey - Root Beer Float, Fries (split with J-R)
This was the first Denny's trip in over three months, so we were rather excited about it. Unfortunately, the staff at Denny's didn't seem to share our enthusiasm. We all knew what we wanted to eat (of course), but the hostess ignored my request to not have a menu. I tried to ask her a few questions, but she didn't seem too inclined to answer them. Tanya, our waitress, was a bit friendlier, as she had only been working there a week and didn't know any better. We made her slightly nervous. For some undisclosed reason, we had quite an extensive wait before we saw even our beverages. It should be noted that the waitress did not approve of my particular blend of root beer and cherry sauce. This disapproval was exemplified by the fact that she charged me SIXTY FIVE cents for the cherry sauce. I've always gotten it for free and wasn't able to talk them out of charging me. To their credit, they did get a bit friendlier towards the end, even though they still charged me for the cherry sauce. They refused to give us anything for free, so we took a discarded steel pole (with some concrete still on the end) that was sitting by the dumpster.
WAY: No
Free Stuff: Pole (stolen)
Denny's #1082
Centerville, Ohio
6-Jul-96, 8:15pm EDT
6270 Far Hills Road, I-675 & Rt. 48
(513) 434-2230
Attendees: P7A77, John "Adder" Fink, J-R Little, Kasey Princell
Wait-person(s): Joseph and Heather
What we ate: Free Samples of Barq's Root Beer
After the rather dismal Denny's in Miamisburg, we all went to Adventure Golf in Centerville. After an especially adventurous game, we headed off to this Denny's and quickly found it to be the best one so far in this project. First off, it was the first Denny's I've visited that served alcohol. Secondly, they were friendly as all git-out right from the start, even though we said we weren't eating anything. They explained that they were bored out of their minds with the same-old same-old and that we were a burst of refreshment for them. Not only did they give us several free samples of root beer, and not only did they give us some Magic School Bus cups, but they gave us their very own Root Beer Float pins right off of their shirts. They also got a big kick out of the bus. Next time we plan on getting their shirts, too. (wink, wink)
WAY: Yes - Nate (server)
Free Stuff: Nestea coasters, Magic School Bus cups, Barq's Root Beer, RB Float pins, RB Float bumper sticker
Denny's #0897
Dayton, Ohio
6-Jul-96, 8:55pm EDT
3630 N. Dixie
(513) 274-2481
Attendees: P7A77, John "Adder" Fink, J-R Little, Kasey Princell
Wait-person(s): Shannon
What we ate: Nothing
Nothing really of note here. We were just passing through on our way to the big prize of the evening in Springfield. They gave us a free business card. Whoopee.
WAY: Yes - Richard (dishwasher)
Free Stuff: Business Card
Denny's #6279
Dayton, Ohio
6-Jul-96, 6279pm EDT
7901 Brandt Pike
(513) 237-1790
Attendees: P7A77, John "Adder" Fink, J-R Little, Kasey Princell
Wait-person(s): Wendy
What we ate: Nothing
Still on our way to Springfield. Kasey and J-R had been drinking all night and were starting to get sort of annoying.
WAY: Undetermined
Free Stuff: OJ Carafe Insert, RB Float Pin
Denny's #0611
Dayton, Ohio
6-Jul-96, 10:00pm EDT
1135 S. Main, across from Montgomery Fairgrounds
(513) 228-2716
Attendees: P7A77, John "Adder" Fink, J-R Little, Kasey Princell
Wait-person(s): Julie
What we ate: P7A77 - Delidinger, Hash Browns, Coffee; Adder - Southern Slam, Eggs Scrambled; J-R - Club Sandwich; Kasey - Ultimate Omelet, Biscuit, Coffee
The goal was to go to the Springfield Denny's and then to Rocky Horror in Dayton, but the bus started to overheat on the way, so we had to cut our trip short. We were already running late, and since I was performing that night in the show, we couldn't afford to waste time. We decided to go to Springfield another time, and went to this Denny's instead (which we were planning on going to after the show). The whole staff was in some sort of crazy goofy mood. They were very friendly and let me call Mary the manager in Springfield to let her know that we wouldn't be able to be there that night (she was waiting for us). When she found out who we were calling, Julie (out waitress) raved and raved about her (Mary). A different Mary - this one a trainer at this Denny's - turned out to be the sister of Susan at the Centerville Denny's. It's all just one big happy family. Our Weird Al of the evening, Tina (who is also our first female Al), apparently had dropped a sandwich in some split pea soup earlier in the evening. Mary (the trainer) also dropped and broke a glass while we were there. If you go to this Denny's, don't take anything valuable with you. The whole staff was greatly amused by our quest. As it turns out, the Centerville Denny's had phoned ahead to let them know that we would be there after Rocky Horror (which was our original plan), and they were surprised to see us there so early. (always keep 'em guessing, that's what I say) They dubbed us "Denny's Bums" and gave us nothing but a friendly attitude and great service.
WAY: Yes - Tina
Free Stuff: Undetermined (I forgot to write it down)
Denny's #0853
Springfield, Ohio
13-Jul-96, 10:00pm EDT
2209 S. Limestone St.
(513) 324-3320
Attendees: P7A77, John "Adder" Fink, J-R Little, Phil Stewart, JT Tartarra, Jan Warren, Rachel Weidinger, Josh Wyen
Wait-person(s): Kera and Carol
What we ate: P7A77 - Super Bird, Seasoned Fries with BBQ Sauce, Root Beer with Cherry Sauce, Coffee; Adder - Southern Slam, Eggs Scrambled, Coke; J-R - Denny Burger Combo, Seasoned Fries, Caesar Salad, Sprite; Phil - Shrimp Dinner, Corn, Water; JT - Play It Again Slam, Eggs Over Easy, Hash Browns, Large Orange Juice; Jan - Denny Burger Combo, Garden Salad with Ranch Dressing, Water; Rachel - Grilled Cheese, Fries, Vegetable Soup, French Vanilla Coffee; Josh - Super Bird with Extra Tomato, Seasoned Fries with BBQ Sauce, Coffee, Water
We finally made it to Springfield! Better late than never, I suppose. We loaded the bus up with a fresh crowd, went to Adventure Golf again, then headed straight to Springfield - no stops. Mary (the manager) was wise this time and didn't wait there for us, so we tried to give her a call. Unfortunately, the hostess (Kera) wouldn't give me Mary's phone number. I suppose that wise for security reasons, but I'm a nice enough guy. No matter, because Carol (our waitress, who bore a striking resemblance to Phil Donahue) knew what was up and gave Mary a call.
This is an old-style Denny's (the best kind, as far as I'm concerned), and the staff reflected that sort of charm that you expect to go along with that. Once Mary showed up, she took us all to the back of the store where she presented us with not one toilet.. not two toilets.. but two toilets AND a sink. Wow. They had recently remodeled the employee washroom and had this stuff lying around. Mary and her friend (who went by the moniker "Truck") were both good ol' Harley-Davidson kind of folks. As if the toilets weren't enough, the whole trip was worth it just to hear a large bearded man wearing a Harley shirt and named 'Truck" say something to the effect of "I wanna see this online soon." Break those stereotypes! Yee-ha! All kidding aside, I'm the last one to judge by appearance (unless the appearance is that of a clean-cut beer-drinkin' date-rapin' frat-boy type, but hey.. nobody's perfect), and Mary and Truck were both great. (Plus, I know they're going to read this, and Truck is significantly larger than I am.)
It should also be noted that the sausage and gravy were very good (according to Adder), and this Denny's actually had parsley (a garnish that is becoming increasingly rare at Denny's).