Denny's — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

Denny’s is Denny’s. Should always be a copy/paste experience but sometimes it is not.

Enter - Manager. Frustration to what she walked into was very clear. Albeit, How she approached it could’ve been better. I have worked in Customer Service for about 10 years. Multiple companies from representative to Regional Management.

At no point would I ever speak to my employees in that manner. Maybe she was having a bad day and we’re all human. But, that doesn’t mean we should allow it to severely affect how we act as a leader.

There was some opportunity for cleanliness, to which, she addressed. Understandable. There were a couple more guest than I that had arrived at the time. And just prior to her arrival - whether dine in was being taken or not - was unclear.

As she continued to move about the business- she began to address items in a demeaning way to the staff members. To the point that I and the other guest achieved an understanding by nonverbals - that we were uncomfortable hearing it. It was akin to being trapped in the room while your best friend is being yelled at by their mom. She wasn’t yelling, but was pretty condescending.

A new employee was there and she didn’t even know his name. She wasn’t aware of what he did and didn’t know and he was met with a few dry remarks from her. To which he made the best of and from his greeting to his attempt to assist - his customer service skills and manners were great.

It is the duty of Mangement to ensure all employees are at a comparable and competent performance level. Not to mention that it was his first day.

My meal had one item ill prepared but that was fine.

I think that as leaders - the best way create a more cohesive and effective environment is by praising in public and correcting in private.

I don’t see how berating someone in a demeaning and condescending tone leads to an effective workplace environment. If there are unacceptable standards, or things that need to be changed – that can be done in a different way. But it definitely doesn’t make anyone want to work for you if they’re being coached that way.

All in all – that was probably the worst part of my experience. I can deal with undercooked food. Hell, I can even deal with someone getting my order wrong. I can even deal with it taking 10 minutes longer than it should. But one thing that I definitely don’t agree with is negative treatment of employees.

Honestly, the service industry is already hard enough. The way that people are treated from outside guests, shouldn’t be duplicated by inside Mangement. You guys are all in this together. It’s up to everyone as a whole to continue to create a good workplace...

The burger is a good value and the service was great.

Classic Burger with Fries - $8.99+1.29 (cheese): Part of the “4 Slams for Under $10”  The burger overall was large.  The burger patty was standard and a bit under seasoned.   The cheese was not all the way melted.  The bun was good and full bodied.  The toppings were fresh.

Seasoned Fries - $1 extra?: I was offered the seasoned fries and took it.  I misunderstood and thought these were the wavy fries pictured.  I am not sure if they were out and offered these, but it is what I got and I was not charged extra.  It was a HUGE portion of fries.  They were a little over cooked and dark colored (old oil?), but not bad at all.  I ate them all and enjoyed it.  They were seasoned a bit more than average.

Country-Fried Steak - $15.49: Ordered with the sausage gravy, hash browns, wheat toast, and over easy eggs.  The country-fried steak was probably cooked from frozen since the order arrived very quickly, but it was actually fairly decent.  It was soft in the middle and lightly crispy on the outside.  The sausage gravy was standard but good.

The toast was burned in one very small spot, but otherwise still plenty soft and buttered throughout the rest.  The hash browns were also standard, soft with good crisping.  The eggs were made as ordered and the yolks added a good flavor throughout when mixed in with the hash browns and steak.  It would have been better to put the eggs on the hash browns than alongside.

Compared to other places, it was actually fairly decent and better than average.  The price tag is a bit higher, but I think it is mostly justified.  They currently have a surcharge on eggs due to the extremely high price of eggs.  I think they waved it for me since my order was not fulfilled to my original request (burger and fries).

Cheesy Hash Browns - $4.79: My friend ordered this and said it was good.

Overall, for what you pay, it was an EXCELLENT value.

Service: Our waiter was amazing, super positive, and doing his best.  I think he and the cook were running the whole show.  I’ve been here before and everyone seems to be fairly positive.

Atmosphere: Generally kept up and in good shape.  They have booths as well as tables and chairs.  Some booth seats are across the table from chairs.  It has some tones from the 70’s, but not overly done.

I previously visited on a Monday asking for a burger, but they were out of meat.  Their truck comes on a Tuesday.

Conclusion: Good value and good service for the price.

Visited on a...

I’ve been a long-time customer of Denny’s and used to enjoy the service here years ago, but my recent experiences have been disappointing enough to make me rethink coming back. Over the past two visits, I haven’t even been able to start service—each visit felt like another layer of decline.

During my first recent visit, the parking lot was in rough shape, with what looked like months’ worth of debris scattered around. It was a clear sign that upkeep and maintenance have fallen by the wayside. On my second visit, the lot was still unkempt. But what really stood out was what happened after I entered the building.

There was a makeshift sign—what looked like a paper placemat taped to the inside of the entry door with blue crayon—informing me that they were closed. Not only did the sign look unprofessional, but there were also people smoking out back, in full view of customers. If the staff cared about the restaurant’s image, someone should have at least considered how this would look to guests. A closing 24-hour restaurant is one thing, but seeing the staff outside smoking and then entering to find unclear signage? It gives the impression that no one is really paying attention to the basics.

When I asked if they were closed, the response I got was a casual, “Umm, yeah,” with no explanation, no apology, and no offer to return when things are back in order.

Honestly, I’m left wondering how a business with this much investment could let such easy-to-fix problems go unaddressed. If things are this neglected on the outside, it makes me concerned about what’s happening behind the scenes—especially when it comes to food safety. I’ve already stopped visiting the Muskegon Denny’s locations for similar reasons, and seeing this one follow that same path without correction is frustrating. I want to support this location, but it’s hard to justify returning unless there’s a...