Denny's — Restaurant in Poulsbo

Had breakfast for dinner yesterday with the kids and the entire "service" experience was a disasterpiece!

The place was dead with like four tables being served when we arrived. After 10 minutes of watching the brand new host/busser attending to customers, I realized I hadn't seen an actual server since we got there.

At any rate, the host finally acknowledged our presence and sat us at the nearest table. We sat there for another 15 minutes before he came back and offered us drinks. Still no observable wait staff at this point.

Finally, after an entire 40 minutes of being at the establishment, did the seemingly only wait staff person on duty make an appearance and begin dropping food at the other tables that had been there since before we arrived. It should be noted that our presence was not acknowledged by this wait staff person.

To top that off, the final call apparently was to have the rookie kid come take our order after overhearing that the phantom server needed to go take another break.

The young man was very cordial but was nervous about never having used the POS system before. I was patient and polite and we eventually got through the process of having our order taken.

Ironically, the food was up in less than 10 minutes after nearly an entire hour of sitting there with two hangry kiddos. Not ironically, however, was the fact that the "server" was still MIA so the host kid had to bring us our order as well.

Here's where it got even sillier...

I only received the French toast portion of my entire order. At this stage in the game I just decided to let it all ride and see if my predictions would unfold the way I assumed. I was not let down.

It was at the point that I had finished my last bite of my partial order that we were finally directly addressed by the server who proceeded to explain (gaslight) how busy it was to excuse the absence of proper dining room customer attention.

Again, I let that go and just responded politely. Then my next prediction came true when I was offered the check and I crossed my fingers waiting to see that the entirety of my order was indeed entered correctly by the initiative taking host and simply not delivered with no further explanation.

I had to try hard not to laugh out loud, and after regaining my composure, proceeded to inform the "server" that my bill did not reflect my actual items presented.

And I kid you not this "wait staff professional," seemingly taken by complete surprise, exclaimed that they were " wondering what the other food sitting up there in the window was for!" It should be noted that of course, as also predicted, the hard working young host lad was quickly thrown under the bus for failing to provide the service that should have been the responsibility of this "professional" all along.

I was then offered the choice of taking it to go, lol! I politely declined and instead requested that the missing items be removed from my tab.

I have spent nearly 20 years in food service as a professional chef and business owner, but consider myself grass roots and have exorbitant patience for those who do the often thankless job of waiting on folks in this gruelling industry. And this to the point where I usually reserve reviews for establishments whose reputations for having high standards precede them.

However, this was such a special case of negligence that I feel it necessary for my experience to be shared so that hopefully this type of situation can be avoided in the future for the owners and customers of this particular establishment.

It shouldn't matter if you are a family diner or a Michelin Star restaurant. There is a general professional standard that applies universally in ANY customer service industry and should be met with proper training and quality control at all times.

This message I hope will reach the owner/operator of this location and that the lack of apparent proper management here is tightened up.

My kids love it here and it would be a shame to have to remove it from our list of memory making...

This has been my third visit here. The first time back in July I got a hot coffee to go. It was given in a soft drink container that eventually MELTED the BOTTOM of the cup enough to SEEP THROUGH and slowly ruin my vehicle's upholstery as I commuted and eventually my work clothes as I lifted it to drink. When I called to express my frustration, I eventually received a call from Terry, the manager, who offered me a gift card or a free meal. While appreciated, it hardly alleviated the frustration of having to take apart my center console for a shampooing between my seats or a proper $200 detailing job needed for my car. I agreed anyway, but eventually when I went to pick up the gift card from Maria, she had no idea what I was talking about and said Debbie would handle it. Maria took my number, but three months have passed without any follow-up.

On July 28th at 1 AM, I returned and encountered the same server who had given me the coffee in the wrong cup. They recognized me and mentioned that they now have to give disclaimers because of my complaint. Apparently, buying suitable containers wasn’t considered an option! 🙄Given that Denny’s is a large franchise, it’s hard to believe they can’t provide proper coffee cups. The absolute kicker? The server later confided that she had “mentioned this problem before”—essentially admitting she knowingly served scalding hot coffee in an inappropriate container that could (and did) melt, and that management is dismissive of her concerns. But she didn't think to tell me that night? Lol..or at least double cup it? This wasn’t just negligence; it was a conscious decision to serve hot beverages in containers they knew were innapropriate. Imagine the liability of knowingly serving hot coffee in melting cups to unsuspecting customers, while a simple investment in proper cups could have prevented this entire situation. For a major franchise like Denny’s, this level of willful disregard for customer safety isn’t just baffling—it’s alarming. Reminiscent of that 10m$ McDonald's lawsuit making them put stupid "caution: contents hot" on the cup. So what is Denny's supposed to say now, "hurry up and chug this scalding hot coffee before it compromises the structural integrity of the container"?

This revelation transforms the story from simple incompetence to something far more concerning: they were aware of the risk and chose to continue the practice anyway, at least until my incident forced them to start giving “disclaimers.” Because apparently, warning customers about potentially melting cups is preferable to just using the right ones.

-.. Well anyway, tonight I was driving through from the Ferry. Stopped in for a break and order a burger & fries. It came with an unexpected garnish: a hair. When I pointed this out asking "whose hair is this?" to the server, they first ignored my question and claimed they couldn't see anything; until I picked off a black curly hair. I was met with a "so so sorry" apology and a “What do you want me to do about it?”. It was at this moment I realized I had entered a parallel universe where customer service was merely a suggestion here.

Despite having the entire place to myself, I felt like a ghost. My glass sat empty, waiting for a refill that never came, much like my hope for utensils with a NAPKIN at some point because nothing was provided from the beginning.. made a mess eating a bland water-retained burger. I started to wonder if this was some sort of new-age dining experience where you bring your own supplies. I finally got up to get a paper towel from the bathroom: None in the container and the sink was clogged with murky water. The restroom had an aroma that can only be described as a cat piss litter box. The kind of heavy air you'd expect inside a home that lingers in your nostrils long after you’ve left, like an unwanted souvenir.

Being the sole late-night dining option in the area, I guess they simply recognize they don't need to do anything substantial because they know you have no...

UPDATE: 11/4/23 To write this length of an updated review, I had to delete the other one. Recap - In May 2023, decent food and a nice server-YAY- for that; a few months before that, not long after they had opened, we ended up with a sick server with no mask and coughing; the server told us she was sick and running a fever but had to be there. The food was okay, but after having an ill server coughing everywhere, it left a lot to be desired. It has been since May 2023 since our last visit to Denny's. I wish I could write how excellent everything was last night, but honestly, It was disappointing.🫤

Our server, Luz N., she was ok in personality, but not to friendly; she asked if we wanted drinks, and we both requested ice water with a few lemons and straws. She returned with several limes and said they had no lemons; if they did, she couldn't find them. She proceeded to take our order and had issues with taking our order because once we received our food, some of it was incorrect.

I ordered a Build Your Own Burger, and my hubby ordered a Cali Club Sandwich.

I had a veggie patty with my, Build Your Own burger. It came with red onions, lettuce, tomato, and pickle. As add-ons, I asked for extra jalapenos, grilled onion, and extra pickles, but she said they did not have pickles. So, odd as that seemed to me, I figured they were out, so I expected no pickles, period. I requested no cheese or mayo if it came with it and requested yellow mustard on the side. She asked if I wanted fries, and I said no, thank you, the burger would be fine. I would have done a side salad, but five dollars seemed extreme as I paid a lot less six months ago.

My burger came out with a large bun with a tiny veggie patty, one tomato, one small piece of lettuce, maybe a teaspoon's worth of jalapenos, some grilled onions, and two pickles. Yup, they had pickles. Honestly, there was more bun than anything else. Also, along with that was a dish of fruit; I'm not complaining about that. I love fruit, but it wasn't offered on the menu, nor did I ask for it, nor did she mention it, but she did charge us for it.

My hubby's Cali Club sandwich, he had requested the bread not to be toasted, so either they lightly toasted it, or the bread was getting old because it was on the harder side versus the softer side. They probably started toasting it and then realized they were not supposed to and served it anyway; that's just our thought. His sandwich was to include avocado on it, and there was no avocado in sight.

Did I mention she never came back and checked on us AT ALL? She didn't even bring our food out; it was someone else that did. I understand it often happens when someone goes on break; they will request another server to fill in, but she never shared that information about going on break. I did see her helping another table at one point;, with us, she disappeared like magic!

In fact, we waived down another server and requested our check because she never came back. We sat waiting for our check, and we waited; we finally decided to head up front to request it, saw her along the way, and got the check; she said thanks, and that was it. 😐 Not a great experience all the way around!

In my opinion and mine alone, go there knowing there is a 50/50 chance you'll get decent service and the correct food, or you won't lol. 🤭

Please be kind to ALL things...