I visited Denny's for the first time after trying Cracker Barrel and IHOP. One chain had the best breakfast — and value.

Denny's is simply a California-founded concatenation known for its classical American diner experience, prime 24-hour locations, and all-day meal menu, specifically its trademarked Slam meals.

What started arsenic a azygous doughnut shop successful 1953 is now a monolithic cognition pinch complete 1,450 locations worldwide.

In precocious 2025, Denny's Corporation agreed to beryllium acquired successful a $620 cardinal woody that took the institution backstage successful early 2026. The woody included some Denny's and Keke's Breakfast Cafe, the smaller concatenation Denny's acquired successful 2022.

The institution had been publically traded for decades, and the displacement followed struggles to boost income and plans for widespread shop closures.

A fewer months later, successful April, Denny's appointed Christopher Bode, the chain's erstwhile president and COO, arsenic president and CEO.

He stepped successful to lead the brand's alleged translator pinch "Project Grand Slam," a 24-month turnaround scheme focused connected pillars for illustration remodels and culinary innovation.

"With Project Grand Slam, we aren't conscionable changing the menu," Bode said successful a property release. "We are changing our trajectory."

Time will show if the rebranding task is, well, a grand slam. But successful the meantime, I wanted to spot if a concatenation I'd driven by a 1000 times was really worthy a extremity — particularly erstwhile options for illustration IHOP and Cracker Barrel are besides connected the table.

When I perceive "diner," I usually deliberation of checkered floors, chrome finishes, bright-red accents, and vinyl booths.

Denny's had the old-school booths, but alternatively of tile, metal, and red, it had cherry-wood-looking floors and burgundy accents. Some elements, for illustration the neon signs, still felt distinctly retro.

To me, it felt diner-adjacent, bridging retro and modern elements.

To champion lucifer my orders astatine Cracker Barrel and IHOP, I built my ain Grand Slam for $11.99.

It came pinch 4 items of my choosing, positive up to 2 further items for a charge, ranging from $1.29 to $2.29 for much premium options.

I picked bacon strips, sausage links, scrambled eggs, and buttermilk pancakes, each served successful pairs. I added grilled ham, a premium side, for an other $2.29.

With my $3.29 coffee, the bid came to $17.57.

I felt Cracker Barrel's java leaned anemic and IHOP's basic, truthful I didn't expect overmuch from Denny's.

Yet, it amazed maine pinch a bold floor plan and a smooth, non-acidic finish. I appreciated the flavorful sensation — and the bottomless refills.

The first point I noticed astir Denny's pancakes: They appeared moreover thicker than IHOP's (and truthful Cracker Barrel's, which were rather thin). Cutting in, they besides seemed fluffier.

Denny's pancakes had a spongy-turned-pillowy wound that melted successful my mouth, almost for illustration existent cake. They moreover smelled for illustration a day cake.

The buttermilk and vanilla flavors came through, and pinch understated sweetness, the texture shone. Denny's pancakes were easy the item of the meal, and fixed their volume, they surely felt satisfying.

Dense and firm, Denny's scrambled eggs lacked the soft, airy texture that typically defines the preparation. They made maine wonderment if my server accidentally brought retired an omelet.

However, the eggs themselves were seasoned well, and the information felt colossal compared to what I sewage astatine IHOP and Cracker Barrel. It seemed for illustration measurement much than 2 eggs.

Neither Cracker Barrel nor IHOP struck my fancy for crispy bacon. I yet recovered it astatine Denny's.

"Light" and "bacon" are seldom successful the aforesaid sentence, but Denny's wispy strips delivered. Although thin, the mediate remained tender and the edges had a pleasant crunch. It wasn't excessively salty, either.

Breakfast sausage tin vanish successful the background, but Denny's links had an earthy, pine-like sensation — what I imagined was sage.

Flavorful, yes, but the links looked for illustration astir half the size of IHOP's. Even though I enjoyed these flavors, I missed the larger-size links.

They seemed to incorporate astir arsenic overmuch nutrient arsenic the disappointing mini sausage patty I'd gotten pinch my breakfast combo astatine Cracker Barrel.

With hints of sweetness, smoke, and barbecue spice, Denny's grilled ham portion had a unsocial profile. Sweetness took halfway stage, arsenic though the portion had been dipped successful maple syrup. Even though I for illustration savory ham, I could admit the unique flavor.

I besides recovered it much tender than Cracker Barrel's and much memorable than IHOP's.

The important weight made it worthy an other charge, though $2.29 felt a small precocious for 1 portion of meat.

My Denny's acquisition wouldn't beryllium complete without hash browns, and since they were considered my 2nd add-on, they costs maine only $1.29.

With six approvals successful the sensation department, I assumed Denny's hash browns would travel suit. I stood corrected.

Comparatively, Cracker Barrel's hash-brown casserole blew maine distant — truthful overmuch truthful that I would spell backmost for that broadside alone. IHOP's hash browns were conscionable OK.

Denny's were stringy, greasy, and firm, to the constituent I wondered if they were undercooked. The heaping information was generous, but I could hardly eat 2 bites. I whitethorn person conscionable gotten a bad batch.

With hash browns, my bid totaled $18.86 earlier taxation and tip. The aforesaid 7 items costs $16.88 astatine Cracker Barrel and $18.58 astatine IHOP, truthful Denny's came retired pricier than both.

All 3 chains felt for illustration a coagulated worth for the magnitude of nutrient I got, but successful my opinion, Denny's provided the biggest bang for my buck.

With comparatively akin prices, worth comes down to taste, variety, and information size.

Taste is subjective, of course, but for this peculiar meal, Denny's did it for me. All but 1 point was yummy capable to bid again, thing I couldn't opportunity the aforesaid astir either of the different chains.

I besides appreciated the build-your-own Grand Slam's customizability. I had 13 items to take from, including ovum whites, turkey bacon, buttermilk biscuits, and seasonal consequence — galore of which I'd beryllium willing successful trying adjacent time.

Above each else, speech from Denny's sausages, everything other seemed either adjacent aliases larger successful size than what I sewage astatine Cracker Barrel and IHOP.

In my comparison of Cracker Barrel and IHOP, I noted that I'd only spell backmost for hash-brown casserole and pancakes, respectively. I guidelines by Cracker Barrel for crispy spuds, but for pancakes, there's a caller victor successful my book.

I'd take Denny's fluffy flapjacks immoderate time of the week.

Denny's declined to comment.

Read my afloat IHOP and Cracker Barrel comparison here — and fto maine cognize which chain's meal I should effort next.