Denny's — Restaurant in San Marcos

Wow, I saw the negative reviews, but in our case the whole experience was very nice. Go figure...One would think that when it comes to the well known Denny's restaurant chain, they are basically all the same, and they couldn't be more wrong. Even though they generally tend to serve the same menu times, pride in ownership makes a great difference. A good solid management can increase quality of the same items that in other Denny's do not taste as good. A tight run ship is always a better thing. This attitude will reflect across the whole menu. Yes, with the proper cook even something as uneventful as french fries can arrive to the table piping hot, crispy and very tasty to the eater. Even corn, the always present item in any menu as a side dish, can be soaked and overcooked, tasting like tasteless wet looking corn. Or can be delivered crispy, almost al dente, put a little butter on those babies and corn lovers everywhere can rejoice. We have been in San Marcos for almost two weeks now, and yes, there is always nightly meetings to decide where to dine. We ask all the websites that review restaurants where is the best place to go. We check the stars and take our chances. Not a true and tried method by a long shot, but it does yield good places every now and then. Enter Denny's in San Marcos. Plates ordered: Grand Slam $8, two eggs any style, sausage, bacon, hash browns, two pancakes and syrup, plus all the coffee one can drink and a juice. Yes, had it countless times, but for some reason this time the food tasted better. 4 Stars. Seafood Combination $8, Shrimp and Fish, both fried to almost a perfect texture, accompanied by french fries that this time tasted like they are supposed to taste, fresh and crispy, much better than the other day's fries at Phil's BBQ. Big Mama was close to tears, and I was amazed how this simple fare could please her so, when we already been to many more expensive restaurants and she never really enjoyed herself. Far out! 4.5 Stars! Banana Split, $4.69?, this one I am sure did not require but a careful touch on how to mix the ingredients the right way, but it was finished by the two other members in my party. I tried a little and was not impressed with the quality of the ice cream, but it looked good. 3.5 Stars. Service was professional only to find out that we were being served by the store manager, Mr. Ara Merhi, which corroborated all I was saying about quality control. He oversees carefully the treatment of customers and the food that is served to them. Made the mention that not all Denny's are created equal, and by the end of our pleasing dinner we wholeheartedly agree. Food prepared better will win every time. No excuses for this fine manager, only quality results. Final bill? I noticed that Denny's menu has undergone an overhaul, if I may, and prices have climbed somewhat, $33+? was the bill. After AARP discount, a must for all Denny's sympathizers, went down to $26+. Hard to believe it, but this Denny's seemed to have what it took to elevate the name of the franchise. Job well done, we say! 4...

Love the buttermilk pancakes and my coffee late at night after studying throughout the late night. Last night my colleagues and I from Cal State University came in with our wives and the place was SUPER PACKED. We got a really nice server named Yali (not sure if I am spelling this correctly since I asked her and can't quite remember right now), and I just wanted to write this review because I am a local google guide here and when I write a review, I mean it. This girl was swamped with people back to back and she was by herself. Yet she was honestly one of the best servers I have EVER HAD. There were a few very, VERY rude people that were completely impatient with her, even though you can obviously tell she is by herself. Yet, she maintained her composure and got to everyone as soon as she could. At one point, I saw her dealing with Uber or some type of food delivery service, cashing out people, AND waiting on ALL the tables inside the restaurant while it was PACKED. By the way, our drinks were always filled, our coffee was fresh, and she never hesitate to check on us. If I can give more than 5 stars, I would. I just have never seen any server be so diligent and customer-service oriented than this waitress, Yali. Great job management. We will continue coming here for our late night dining...

While my review states poor to fair, the service is actually dependent on which shift it is. During the nights I'm usually greeted by a friendly host that I see almost every time.

However today I decided to go in the morning around 6 because me and my buddy were up playing some games and decided to take a break and meet up in person and chat. Before I left I had to use the restroom and the host comes up to my friend and askes if everything was alright. This is fine and all but the kicker is right after he starts yelling to the cook in Spanish that me and my friend were probably going to skip out on the bill and I was probably already in the car. This is even more dumb because my friend (and probably everyone else present at the time) was hispanic and could understand their loud conversation. Also I feel like I was being treated like a hoodlum. I'm like a 22 year old Asian male with a decent job that could pay for that meal in a single hour of overtime. I even had my work badge on that I forgot to take off.

While it was singled out to morning shift, I feel like if I go back they'd be the type to mess with my food as result of...