Did They Say Free?

Like most people watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, I too saw the Denny's commercial. Of course I immediately questioned what I thought I heard to the other people in the room watching the game. "Did they say free?" Well, Denny's made good on their free Grand Slam breakfast offer yesterday. The free deal was good from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday only. I spent about 30 minutes shooting at the Denny's in Bentonville. It was crazy. The temperature outside was hovering around 32 degrees and people stood in line for an average of 20 minutes waiting for a table.


For the most part everyone was patient and civil throughout the long wait, at least while I was there. One guy did tell me a woman tried to cut in line in front of him. He quickly told here where she could go, besides to the end of the line.




The legendary Denny's Grand Slam breakfast. I lived on them when I was in photo school back in Denver from 1994 to 1996. In those days a Grand Slam would set you back $1.99, "A dollar ninety nine! Are you out of your mind?." Now the same breakfast costs $5.99. Inflation. Makes me feel old. Like when your grandmother tells you how much a loaf of bread cost when she was a kid.


Mmmmm pancakes!


The cook pictured above said he had made over 1,000 pancakes when I shot this photo around 11:30. He wasn't a very happy man.


By 2 p.m. the Bentonville Denny's had given away more than 900 Grand Slam breakfasts, a total of $7,800 according to the restaurant's manager. In all they gave away 1,800 eggs, stips of bacon, sausage links and pancakes. The promotion was honored in 1,550 restaurants nationwide. That's a lot of free food.

And in case you were wondering, no I didn't partake in the free feast. There was no way I was going to stand in the cold for 30 minutes for breakfast. Besides, I had had my bacon and eggs before I left the house that morning.