Denny's is the kind of place that people are keen to call an "American institution". It started in 1953 with Harold Butler and a place called "Danny's Donuts" in Lakewood, California. Through some weird twist of fate, it becomes so popular that more stores are opened and, by 1954, they Harold branches out from donuts into soups and sanwiches, and renames the chain to "Danny's Coffee Shops"... and then, in '59 is it renamed to "Denny's Coffee Shop" -- maybe to give it some character?
Denny's Corporation went public in 1966 on the AMEX and PCS Exchanges. There were 81 franchises.
1977. Those infernal "Grand Slam" things they call "breakfast" are born. Fear.
Purchased by the huge TW Services Coproration in 1987... TWS has has interests in, among other things, McDonald's and Philip-Morris.
Denny's and the NAACP had a bit of a tiff in 1993, and later signed a "Fair Share" agreement to allow minorities greater access. The fact that it got bad enough to require the use of a legal document says a lot. This happens again in 1995 with the Hispanic Association.
Denny's may suck (though suckitude ratios are a matter of opinion, anyway) but you must admit it has at least one small redeeming quality:
It's not Village Inn.