Denny's — Restaurant in Winter Haven

I called customer service today Mon. 11/18/24 at 1012am. And filed a huge complaint. But words of advice. NEVER GO HERE during the day. Horrible customer service. Horrible atmosphere. I went on Saturday 11/16/24 around 2:10pm (1410). I brought my grandmother who I told (Before we sat down) to the server, she in her late stages of alzheimers-dementia,we need a quiet area, away from a lot of people and he did sit us down in a quiet area away from people, as asked. But that was the ONLY thing done right. However, the server Zack did not act like a server at all. More like a kid in middle school

My grandmother told him that the place mats on the table which had ads for denny's reminded my grandma of the movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice that came out in October 2024. And she told our server that she hated Beetlejuice and was scared of that man. While we were waiting for our food, he kept popping his head behind the booth (where I couldn't see but she could and I just heard his voice) and slowly repeating, "Beetlejuice, beetlejuice" in a creepy, stalker way. I told him to STOP and this is not a joke. Twice by this time. However he did not respect my wishes or stop acting like a kid. I would have left then but we got our food (that was brought by a really nice lady who looked to be one of the cooks) and while we were eatting; Zack had the audacity to crawl on the floor beside our table and crawl towards my grandmother and popped up saying "Beetlejuice beetlejuice". My grandma held her heart (which she is diagnosed with congestive heart failure) and was scared for her life. Shaking. (She could have died right there due to her heart). He would not stop harassing. I put her walker to block Zack (the server) from being able to go near her and got up and told him do not come near her or look at her AGAIN. At this time (it was 3:20pm [1520], she wanted to leave and was so scared and she told me before she went to sleep, don't ever take me to where Beetlejuice is EVER AGAIN. If it wasn't for my grandmother being with me, I would have snapped the first time he scared her and she even said, I thought you were going to hit him. (I wanted to really bad but alzheimers people cannot handle bad situations or arguments). The manager and him were unethical in a food service industry (and I have worked in the food service/server industry almost my whole life). Have never seen anything that unprofessional and unsanitary inside a dining establishment.

During the whole time with our visit, an older female named Tonya (who I found out was the General manager) was watching everything that i stated above and didnt do/say anything or stop him (so i thought she was just another employee). Found out after the fact, when i called at 11pm (same day) to figure who the GM was so I could speak with that person...and Tonya is the GM. I was dumbfounded because what GM would allow that conduct to happen in a dine in facility and engage into the same conduct. Tonya was talking to Zack from the middle of the room to the front counter, out loud in the dining area about non-work related things and it seemed like they were flirting. In addition, going off Denny's "SBC Guidelines", ALL of those guidelines were thrown out the window for the employee and General Manager. The SBC Guidelines that denny's have and the code of conduct that Mike Starnes holds....those were all violated and ignored. Besides the cooks who were in the back (which did splendidly), The 2 people who were up front violated multiple codes in every area for food, sanitation, and conduct. Did not wash their hands after stepping behind the front counter where it is a FOOD CONTACT SERVICE and was using DIRTY rags to wipe with and then walk back out into the dining area and touched drinks and other tables. That was not the same denny's I loved to go to. I would go to this Denny's location frequently ever since i first went which was in 2007, however, after I experienced that, I WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN. Sorry denny's but you need a new GM at...

Last night, I drove an hour to meet my best friend and grab a bite to eat at Denny's. My friend had called ahead to confirm they were open on Christmas, as the website said 24 hours. Confident in our plan, I made the trip.

When we arrived, the door was locked. Frustrated after the long drive, I tapped on the window. To my surprise, a kind and smiling woman named Briana came to the door and let us in. She apologized, explaining, "You'll have to excuse us—we’re behind. The last shift left us with dirty dishes, no prep, and no help."

Despite the chaos, welcomed us warmly, showing us to a table with a smile. It quickly became clear that she and the cook, RJ, were the only two staff members running the entire restaurant at midnight—a time when people are out late after Christmas festivities looking for a meal. The fact that these two managed to handle everything on their own is nothing short of remarkable.

Briana not only took our order but also cleared tables, washed dishes, and kept the atmosphere upbeat and friendly. RJ worked tirelessly in the kitchen to prepare the food, which was delicious. The other customers seemed just as impressed, with many smiling and laughing, clearly enjoying themselves despite the situation.

When I asked Briana about the management, she mentioned the manager had left earlier. Frankly, I find it appalling that a manager would leave the restaurant understaffed, especially during the holidays. Yet Rihana and RJ stepped up, turning what could have been a disastrous experience into a memorable one.

Their professionalism, positive attitudes, and dedication deserve recognition. If anyone should be in management, it’s these two. Briana’s leadership and hospitality made a lasting impression on me, and RJ’s skill in the kitchen kept everyone happy.

Denny’s, you have two incredible employees who went above and beyond. I can’t thank them enough for their hard work and kindness. I’ll be back—and I sincerely hope to see Briana and RJ in a well-deserved management...

We've eaten at this Denny's before and have always been pleased until this last visit. It was a Sunday morning. We were seated in a booth and there was one waitress in that section, which was not a problem because there was only one other booth with customers. At least, it shouldn't have been a problem, but the waitress ignored us. Obviously she was after the tips and the other table had more people so she would get more tips from them. We waited 30 mins after we ordered our food. She never bought us more coffee; in fact, she never even acknowledged us. When she finally brought the food, it was hot, so we suspect she didn't even put the order in until the other table was served. When we asked her for silverware (which should have already been on the table) she said she'd get us some but they have to wait for silverware. Then she disappeared. Fortunately we found a helpful busboy who was willing to help. The food was good and it was hot, so the problem was the waitress. And it was just our waitress because when we went to pay the check there was a waitress from another section waiting on multiple tables, running the cash register and greeting customers. I'm sure that waitress received well deserved tips for her efforts. We expressed our displeasure to our waitress. We were not rude to her; we didn't demand to speak to the manager or anything like that, but she did not appear to care. She also was wearing a mask but it was down below her nose so she didn't seem to care about the covid policies either. She clearly just wanted tips. We won't go back on a Sunday. The service is much better...