Every once in a while, even the most familiar chains, will do something to impress me. That's why I'm Yelping about the Denny's near Litchfield Road and I-10. In a nutshell, it involves coffee and a ridiculous hour in the AM.
This past Veteran's Day, my girlfriend and I decided to join her father for a flag raising ceremony at dawn. You don't say no to a Marine. And, you don't say no to a Marine when he wants to grab a bite to eat on the way. Which is why we found ourselves at Denny's at 5:00 in the morning.
Denny's was an easy choice because it was convenient to where we were headed. And it's familiar enough to keep everyone in our group happy. And let's be honest. Denny's is Denny's. The classic rock bopping in the background keeps with their diner theme. Even if it was a little oppressive to those of us struggling to wake up.
Now, about that coffee... It's good. It's very good. And our waitress was very attentive and kept it topped off the whole time. If this was just about coffee, we'd be looking at five stars. The food was about what you'd expect. It's average and my scrambled eggs were a little runnier than I would like. But the pancakes made up for the other shortcomings (soggy bacon). Seriously, Denny's pancakes are better than I remember!
Despite the pre-dawn hour, we were re-acquainted with an old friend. The coffee and pancakes plus the friendly service were more than enough to make me want to drop in again... After the sun rises.