Denny's — Restaurant in Dr. Phillips

I will admit, with the weariness that only years of culinary disappointment can bestow, that my expectations of Denny's rarely breach the surface of mediocrity. On most occasions, dining at Denny’s feels akin to accepting a half-hearted culinary apology from a drunk friend serving you macaroni crafted from week-old leftovers and, heaven forbid, water in place of milk.

In short: it sucks.

So when my wife and I landed late and stumbled into this establishment at 11:15 p.m., my expectations hovered somewhere between "resigned dread" and "perhaps the ketchup will be edible." I anticipated rubber masquerading as meat, perched atop a bun with the texture of corrugated cardboard.

As my wife placed the order and I passed by the kitchen, I allowed my most cynical instincts to flare. The kitchen staff looked—how should I say—less than confidence-inspiring. Shadows danced across their faces as I imagined the tragic fate my burger might endure behind those swinging doors.

And yet.

Moments later, it arrived: a modest plate bearing a burger and fries, the kind of meal I’ve dismissed more times than I can count.

I sighed. I braced. I added a polite smear of ketchup and took a bite.

What. In. The. Hell.

Juicy. Seasoned. Alive. The beef was not only cooked—it was composed. The bun, a perfectly toasted, buttery cradle of warmth and indulgence. Pickles, onions, tomatoes—vivid in flavor and unapologetically crisp. The fries? Crisp golden sentinels flanking the hero of the hour.

Each bite was a betrayal of my cynicism. A war waged against my palate's apathy.

Could this be… Denny’s?

It wasn’t simply a good burger. It was a great burger. Possibly—no, probably—on par with my favorite from a local gem in Minneapolis, a place that wears its excellence with pride.

By the end, only the faint red smear of ketchup and a solitary onion ringlet remained—a humble offering to the gods of flavor.

Perhaps it was the lateness of the hour. Perhaps fate smiled on me. Or perhaps, just perhaps, a hidden culinary artist works the grill at 11 p.m. at this Denny's.

To the staff that night: I judged you unfairly. And I say with all sincerity, what you served me was not fast food. It was not comfort food.

It was a...

Me and my family came in here everyday for 5 straight days. The service everyday was amazing. We got to know miss Tasha, as she was our server for 3 of the days.

The next two days we had a Vanessa. Though she was really nice and knowledgeable. She offered us to donate to help feed the needy in which we did.

Food everyday was amazing though. The cook or cooks got the food out really really fast. We asked to speak to a manager. To our surprise. It was a young black guy by the name of Pete. We had talked to him a few times prior. We told him we were impressed with how fast the food comes out. He told us that his cooking team is very strong and that do an amazing job even when it’s chaotic.

Fast forward. On our last day it was very very slow and we were sitting closer to the kitchen area. And this is when it gets weird. A lady in a red Dennys shirt was sitting and talking to other staff members. Let’s just say that none of it was positive.

She went on to tell other staff that she didn’t trust the manager Pete. She T stated that he thinks he’s all that and he’s not good at his job. It was disturbing to sit there and listen because we watched Pete in action and he was doing amazing in our eyes. You usually don’t see managers in the thick of the action cleaning tables, sitting people, sweeping floors and working behind the register.

When we got up to pay. We asked the cashier who the lady was in the red shirt. We were told that she was a manager. That really really disturbed me and my family that a place that seemed so professional and clean would have managers who would sit there and be messy with the staff.

We saw Pete as we were walking out of the door and we notified him that this had taken place. Pete was so humbled behind it. He said he was here to do his Jo and everyone is entitled to their opinions. He then revealed to us that he is very humbled as he is fighting stomach cancer.

Our prayers are with Pete and his family. We will surely come back and check on him but we will not be coming back to eat at this...

We were greeted by the manager and told to have a seat anywhere. He called the server over, who had to be told twice that there were customers. Her response was, "What?!". The manager then gestured with his head that we were in a booth, all while the server was talking on her Bluetooth. Ummm, okay, not professional at all. While we waited, I noticed the floors were dirty and sticky. Mind you, they are open 24 hours. I'm sure they have time to clean as we were the only customers there so far that morning. She proceeded to take our order, then resumed her conversation with whomever was on her Bluetooth. The food wasn't bad, though, so props to the cook. I had ordered a coffee and asked for a top off, which I received no response from the server, then to my surprise another full cup of coffee was placed in front of me... weird, but as long as I'm not charged for another cup, whatever. She left our table and asked the new people at the table next to us if everything was good, then she came back over asking how everything was like she had forgotten the first time. We were ready to pay when the same server came to the register with wet plastic gloves on, so everything she touched was wet, including the receipt, gross, I don't know what she was just doing or what the liquid was. I had to use the bathroom before we left, and it was SO DISGUSTING and GROSS! I can't even guess the last time it was cleaned! I'm glad we were just passing through on our way to the airport. I would never eat here again. I want to hope they clean the kitchen better, but I prefer not to know at this point. At least we...