As sales fell in the last fiscal quarter, Denny’s revealed it would bring back a previously discontinued value menu in the hopes of attracting new and former diners Getty Denny’s diners are becoming increasingly frustrated with the chain restaurant after discovering a 200% markup on a fan-favorite breakfast meal Denny's
Last month, Reddit user Front_Usual_2884 shared a photo of a popular Denny’s menu item on the platform’s inflation subreddit.
“18 dollars for this,” they captioned the post , which showed the price of the chain’s Lumberjack Slam breakfast platter as $17.99.
The Lumberjack Slam is a fan-favorite meal at the chain, which specializes in breakfast platters aptly named “slams.”
Denny’s offers a variety of slams, which typically include several breakfast items, such as eggs, sausage or bacon, hash browns, and toast.
The Lumberjack Slam includes:
Two buttermilk pancakes
One slice of grilled ham
Two bacon strips
Two all-pork sausage links
Two fresh eggs made ready to order (over-easy, poached, sunny-side-up, or soft-boiled)
One serving of crispy hash browns
Two slices of white toast cut into halves
Customers can also upgrade the meal’s buttermilk pancakes to the chain’s premium pancake options for $3.09.
Premium pancake options include double berry banana, cinnamon roll, or “choconana,” a mix of chocolate chip and banana.
DENNY-FLATION
On Denny’s website , the price of a Lumberjack Slam is listed as “starting at $16.29,” plus tax, and reportedly varies by location.
Reddit users were immediately outraged at the cost, citing the diner’s former prices to justify their anger.
“Dennys is trash. The most basic breakfast for 200% markup on portions. I will happily see them go out of business,” one user wrote.
“DENNYS: where you can order an $18 plate for one person instead of making it at home for 4 people for the same price,” another user commented.
“Used to go there and pay 5.99 for the slam. Unreal!” another former diner commented.
One former employee even shared how much prices have increased at the chain over the last few decades.
Fast Food meal deals
Here are some of the current value meals offered by popular fast food joints.
Taco Bell’s $7 Luxe Cravings Box:
Chalupa Supreme
Beefy Five-Layer Burrito
Double Stacked Taco
Chips and nacho cheese sauce
Medium drink
McDonald’s $5 Meal Deal:
McDouble or McChicken sandwich
Four-piece Chicken McNuggets
Small fries
Small soft drink
Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag:
Junior Bacon Cheeseburger or Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Four-piece chicken nuggets
Junior fries
Small soft drink
Burger King’s $5 Your Way Meal:
Whopper Junior, Chicken Junior, or Bacon Cheeseburger
Fries
Four-piece chicken nuggets
Soft drink
“I worked at Denny’s for 5 years from 1993-1998 and it was still $1.99 grand slams,” they wrote.
“We used to have old people come in all the time for two coffees and two grand slams and would leave with under a $10 dollar bill,” they added.
Another Reddit user pointed out how, despite breakfast food being relatively cheaper for restaurants to make, diners have started paying almost as much for a breakfast dish as they would for lunch or dinner.
“Breakfast costs the least to make for a restaurant,” a user wrote.
“If you’ve noticed these days, breakfast costs almost the same as lunch and dinner entrees,” the Denny’s customer added.
Some users seemed indifferent to the price, having gotten used to paying more for food and beverage items over the last few years.
“It’s fast food. It’s a luxury,” one user wrote.
Another former diner agreed, writing, “It’s an OK price, considering that a McDonald’s meal will cost you $15 these days.”
Still, some users weren’t willing to blame inflation and cited the chain’s “greed” instead.
“This isn’t inflation, it’s stupidity,” one user commented.
“That doesn’t cost them that much to make and sell for a profit. Just overt greed,” another user added.
Reddit user u/Front_Usual_2884 slammed Denny’s for raising the price of its Lumberjack Slam breakfast platter to $17.99 Reddit/Front_Usual_2884
DENNY’S PINCHING PENNIES
Despite increasing its menu prices, the restaurant chain’s sales – and profits – have continued to fall.
Sales dropped down 0.6% while company-unit margins fell to 13.2%, down 2.2% since July 2023, according to Restaurant Business Online .
Denny’s first opened its doors in 1953, operating under the moniker Danny’s Donuts in Lakewood, California .
After opening a few additional stores, the chain, then called Danny’s Coffee Shops, officially changed its name to Denny’s in 1961.
The franchise now has over 1,600 restaurants worldwide, with over 1,400 locations in the US.
In July 2024, Denny’s Corporation, the company’s parent company, announced that 15 Denny’s locations permanently closed in the last fiscal quarter.
They added that they expect “as many as 15 more to close by the end of the fiscal year.”
Denny’s Corporation also revealed that Denny’s would be bringing back a discontinued “traffic builder” that helped boost sales in its past: a value menu.
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain's affected.
Cracker Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 ‘underperforming’ locations this year.
Two Bucks: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
Chili’s: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California.
Friendly’s: Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana.
Denny’s: Two restaurants in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, have closed.
Carl’s Jr. : The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
In-N-Out : An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
Cheesecake Factory : The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
Applebee’s : Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
Taco John’s: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
The revamped value menu will include items priced in several tiers, including $2, $4, $6, and $8 options.
Denny’s also announced it would be adding a new fifth tier, with some breakfast items priced at $10.
However, the chain didn’t reveal whether any of its famous slams, like the Lumberjack Slam, would be included in any of the tiers.
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