Project:Denny's - Viewer Reviews


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San Jose, Costa Rica

"The Tico Times, June 11 1999
'Moons over My Hammy' To Shine Here in August
By Christine Pratt, Tico Times Staff

Got a hankerin' for a mouth-watering "Moons over My Hammy," or "Grand Slam Breakfast"?
You have only to wait until local hotelier Hoteles Marta opens Costa Rica's first Denny's restaurant in Augusst at San Jose's Best Western Irazz Hotel.
The restaurant, currently under construction in what was once the hotel's noth parking lot, will duplicate the menu and concept of its 1,650 brethren worldwide, with 24-hour service, U.S.-style breakfast specialties and varied menu of meat, seafood, chicken, sandwiches, salads and desserts.
Kids will have their own menu, and refills on coffee, tea, soft drinks and lemonade are free.
Denny's Costa Rica manager Josi Rojas said the original grand opening date in March or April was pushed back to August while negotiations concluded with Denny's U.S. management company, Advantica Restaurant Group of South Carolina (TT, Oct. 9, 1998).
"Now we're going full steam ahead," said Rojas, who added that the restaurant's furnishings and kitchen equipment are already on their way to Costa Rica.
Rojas and a select group of management staff will soon travel to Miami to complete a three-to four-month training course at one or two of the company's larger restaurants.
"The course is tough!" admits Rojas. "There are exams that you must pass with a grade of 90 percent or higher, but that means that we will come back well-trained, so we will work well and attend our customers well."
Rojas is no newcomer to the restaurant business. He arrived at Denny's Costa Rica following 14 years at U.S. burger icon McDonald's arch-rival, Burger King. He'll oversee a staff of 65-70 workers.
"Breakfast will be the real push for us here, just as it is in the U.S.," Rojas said. "We're expecting that it will be about 75 percent of our total business."
Hoteles Marta is already eyeing sites for four additional Denny's, but won't yet disclose where or when construction will begin. The company owns travel agency Fantasy Tours, and is the local licensee for U.S. Best Western hotel chain. Besides the Irazz, Hoteles Marta also owns the downtown Best Western, the Jacs Beach Best Western in the Pacific coastal town of the same name and the Hampton Inn, near Juan Santamarma International Airport.
Nearly 90 percent of all foods and ingredients served in the local Denny's will be imported from the U.S. to ensure quality, Rojas said. That concept may not make Denny's Costa Rica the bargain-basement food stop it has become up north.
Its "Grand Slam" breakfast - of eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes for $2.99 - may be a little costlier here, as may other selections.
The restaurant has become famous for its campy menu selections, including the copyrighted "Moons Over My Hammy" - a combination of sourdough bread, ham, cheese and eggs. Don't except to see Costa Ricans' favorite gallo pinto (refried rice and black beans) on the menu.
"We want the concept of Denny's to remain true to the original," Rojas said. "We consider that very important to keep our U.S. and Canadian customers happy."
Denny's began in Lakewood, California as "Danny's Donuts" in 1953. The shops expanded and diversified and adopted the Denny's name six years later. Worldwide sales from restaurants in all 50 U.S. states except Rhode Island, Canada, Puerto Rica, Guam and New Zealand top $2 billion yearly.
Last year, The Tico Times offered a free Grand Slam Breakfast to the first reader who could name the one U.S. state without a Denny's (Rhode Island) - no one answered correctly!
-----------end of article---------------

so, there you have it. in a country in which _every_ store with a popular U.S. name is a case of copyright infringement, Denny's prevails in it's authenticity. why they're importing all the food from the states to ensure quality is beyond me. in Costa Rica even the freakin' _fences_ grow (not a joke.... cheap fences are made by sticking tree branches into the ground and connecting them with barbed wire. in a year or so, they will be _trees_ connected to each other by barbed wire), the meat is cheap, and it's all free range, the dairy is cheaper than in US and fully organic....... well, you get the idea. perhaps they were going for the authentic Denny's salad?
i can see it at Denny's School...
Teacher: "Rojas! What are you thinking?! You can't screw up produce if you TRIED to in Costa Rica!! Import the damned stuff from Boston!"" - written prior to September, 1999
- wilja

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