Denny’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from one all-day menu that centers on the Grand Slam. Harold Butler and Richard Jezak opened the first location as a donut shop in Lakewood, California, in 1953. The diner format built its name on staying open around the clock.
Denny’s history, its corporate ownership and the shape of its estate today fill the section below.
Denny’s History
Harold Butler and Richard Jezak opened a 900-square-foot coffee and donut shop in Lakewood, California, in 1953. They named it Danny’s Donuts, simply because the name read well on a sign. Butler set one goal: good coffee, good donuts, and doors that never closed. Richard Jezak left the partnership in 1956. Only six stores existed then. Butler renamed the business Denny’s Coffee Shops in 1959 and ran it around the clock. The name shortened again two years later, to simply Denny’s. Franchising began in 1963, opening the format to new owners nationwide.
Trans World Corporation became the parent company in 1987 and moved headquarters to Spartanburg, South Carolina. The corporate name changed twice more within a decade, first to TW Services and then to Flagstar Companies. Flagstar Companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 1997, weighed down by debt from a string of acquisitions. Denny’s had grown into the biggest brand under that roof. The parent company took its name instead and became Denny’s Corporation. The company went private in January 2026 and is still run out of Spartanburg.
Denny’s Corporation now operates about 1,302 restaurants across 45 of the 51 tracked US states and territories. Franchisees run the large majority of that estate today. That share grew further as company-owned stores kept converting through the mid-2020s. The 24-hour diner format still centers on the Grand Slam breakfast. Six decades after the last name change, coffee, eggs and an open door at any hour still define the brand for millions of regular guests.
Denny’s Menus & Details
Four pages carry the detail below, and each one pairs an item name with its own figures.
Denny’s Menu Prices
The full board runs across eighteen sections from Combos to Beverages, with a calorie count wherever Denny’s nutrition guide lists one. The Denny’s Menu Prices page lists every item with its price, from the Grand Slam lineup to the Kids Menu.
Denny’s Secret Menu
Off-menu builds and old favorites still turn up if a guest knows how to ask. Examples range from cheesy hash browns to a few discontinued dishes some cooks remember. The Denny’s Secret Menu lists every hack by the name regulars actually use to order it.
Denny’s Allergen Menu
Denny’s own guide tracks ten allergens for menu items and for individual ingredients, covering everything from Grand Slam plates to gravy and syrup. The Denny’s Allergen Menu breaks down what each row declares.
Denny’s Fall Menu
Pumpkin, caramel apple and mushroom flavors anchor this year’s seasonal lineup alongside a returning pancake favorite. Current picks sit on the Denny’s Fall Menu.