To start, I haven't been to a Denny's since the 80's, all the way back to when Denny's converted many of the bankrupted Sambo's locations. I was younger then and Denny's was the go-to place in the wee hours of the morning after a night out. I'm 72 now and those days are long gone. I've lived in Lakeland for 35 years and have never been to a Denny's here. Tuesday, 5/7/2024, I had an 11:30 am doctor's appt. close to Denny's on S. Fla. Av. Afterwards, the wife and I were heading for lunch when I spotted Denny's and made a quick decision to pull in ... maybe for old-times sake? HUGE mistake! Probably the worst dining experience I've had for as far back as I can remember. The first sign should have been that the restaurant was basically empty, right in the middle of the weekday lunch "rush"! We sat and only waited a short while before ordering. For me, country fried steak, mashed potatoes, onion rings and garlic toast. I also asked for extra gravy on the side along with a glass of water. The wife also ordered the country fried steak, French fries (asked for them CRISPY) and a small salad, accompanied by garlic toast and water. Then the wait started .... and continued ... and continued ... and CONTINUED. The wife and I were beginning to wonder if they'd forgotten about us. I did not keep track of the time, but it was totally ridiculous, especially considering the restaurant was practically empty. FINALLY the food arrived and the waitress (didn't get her name) simply plopped it down on the table, didn't say a word and walked off. The whole time we had waited, the wife could have at least eaten her salad, but it was delivered with the meal. I joked with her and asked if she'd prefer to eat her salad while it's cold and crisp, while her meal gets cold ... or would she prefer a hot meal while her salad gets warm and limp? Her fries were average, but NOT well done/crispy, as ordered. We let it slide. It's then I noticed I had French fries on my plate although I'd ordered onion rings. I flagged down the waitress and reminded her of the original order and she disappeared, only to return and inform me they were out of onion rings! I informed her I did not want fries and proceeded to order hash browns and asked for them "extra crispy". Off she went toward the kitchen. I then realized I'd never received the side of extra gravy, but the waitress was nowhere to be seen and our food was getting cold, so I just wrote it off and began my meal. Now, country fried steak is one of my favorite meals, but this was, without a doubt, the worst I've ever had in my life, at least that I can recall. The meal was served with a steak knife, but I never needed it. I could cut it (VERY easily) with a fork! Good, right? NO! The "steak" had the texture and consistency of fried, beef-flavored, toothpaste! It was literally, fried "mush" with a very light crust. At some point during the meal, the waitress walked by and dropped off (then kept walking, not saying a word) a small plate with white, BARELY browned, hash browns floating in a pool of oil. They actually looked one tiny step above raw. To add insult to injury, I'd placed my, now empty, water glass at the edge of the table for a refill, but she never even stopped as she dropped off the hash browns. I proceeded to drink my wife's water as she drinks very little with her meal. We ate our meal and I saved the hash browns to take home. The wife said she'll fry them up for my breakfast the next day. She also decided to take her undercooked fries home to reheat and finish cooking in the air fryer at home. Ok, it was a terrible experience. Could it get any worse? As we sat waiting for our bill, the waitress again flew by the table and dropped a small plate off on her way by. It was our cold, oily, garlic toast! We'd forgotten all about it ... and evidently the waitress had also. It was so cold, we assumed it had been sitting at the pick-up win
Charles Wade
Always a delight to have a late night birthday breakfast
Really exceptional experience at Denny's today. Our server Jordan was great, we were seated right away and he was super attentive, didn't have to wait for anything. Our order was exactly as we asked for it and cooked perfectly. Thanks everyone for a very pleasant experience.Kid-friendliness: High chairs and changing stations, kid menus, crayons and activity page
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vernita Forf
The waitress was very nice and accommodating. She made sure we had everything we needed and went out of her way to give excellent customer service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jane Unbehagen
Greatest patty melt. My favorite comfort breakfast, carmel banana pancakes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bob Bob
All the meals are good. It easy to ring up to twenty dollars with coffee and cheese. I will say decent value you are always full. There is cheaper lighter menu options. Good people here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Robin LaClair
Adetare was a great server, very friendly and efficient.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aimee Marie Erickson
Delicious, friendly, fast and the best restaurant for a quick affordable meal at any time. Our server Ms. Adetare is the sweetest. She always remembers us and provides the best service. Our children love this Denny's so much. They always request breakfast for dinner.Kid-friendliness: Perfect size meals that kids love. The cups with sippy lids are the best and are reusable
It's always warm and everytime I ask for additional stuff it's always in bag. This is my second time ordering from them and have yet to have a problem.
Adam Neira
This experience was super! Great service, clean restaurant, and fresh food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hash Browns
Sherry Rhodes
The food was good, the price was decent however the atmosphere was one of ," I don't have any help so don't expect me to care about your needs. There were only 5 families there, one cook one server. After we waited 45 minutes for our grand slam breakfast, she said they had to make the to go orders first, and our order should be up soon. If we needed to leave before it was finished, we were free to go.
To start, I haven't been to a Denny's since the 80's, all the way back to when Denny's converted many of the bankrupted Sambo's locations. I was younger then and Denny's was the go-to place in the wee hours of the morning after a night out. I'm 72 now and those days are long gone. I've lived in Lakeland for 35 years and have never been to a Denny's here. Tuesday, 5/7/2024, I had an 11:30 am doctor's appt. close to Denny's on S. Fla. Av. Afterwards, the wife and I were heading for lunch when I spotted Denny's and made a quick decision to pull in ... maybe for old-times sake? HUGE mistake! Probably the worst dining experience I've had for as far back as I can remember. The first sign should have been that the restaurant was basically empty, right in the middle of the weekday lunch "rush"! We sat and only waited a short while before ordering. For me, country fried steak, mashed potatoes, onion rings and garlic toast. I also asked for extra gravy on the side along with a glass of water. The wife also ordered the country fried steak, French fries (asked for them CRISPY) and a small salad, accompanied by garlic toast and water. Then the wait started .... and continued ... and continued ... and CONTINUED. The wife and I were beginning to wonder if they'd forgotten about us. I did not keep track of the time, but it was totally ridiculous, especially considering the restaurant was practically empty. FINALLY the food arrived and the waitress (didn't get her name) simply plopped it down on the table, didn't say a word and walked off. The whole time we had waited, the wife could have at least eaten her salad, but it was delivered with the meal. I joked with her and asked if she'd prefer to eat her salad while it's cold and crisp, while her meal gets cold ... or would she prefer a hot meal while her salad gets warm and limp? Her fries were average, but NOT well done/crispy, as ordered. We let it slide. It's then I noticed I had French fries on my plate although I'd ordered onion rings. I flagged down the waitress and reminded her of the original order and she disappeared, only to return and inform me they were out of onion rings! I informed her I did not want fries and proceeded to order hash browns and asked for them "extra crispy". Off she went toward the kitchen. I then realized I'd never received the side of extra gravy, but the waitress was nowhere to be seen and our food was getting cold, so I just wrote it off and began my meal. Now, country fried steak is one of my favorite meals, but this was, without a doubt, the worst I've ever had in my life, at least that I can recall. The meal was served with a steak knife, but I never needed it. I could cut it (VERY easily) with a fork! Good, right? NO! The "steak" had the texture and consistency of fried, beef-flavored, toothpaste! It was literally, fried "mush" with a very light crust. At some point during the meal, the waitress walked by and dropped off (then kept walking, not saying a word) a small plate with white, BARELY browned, hash browns floating in a pool of oil. They actually looked one tiny step above raw. To add insult to injury, I'd placed my, now empty, water glass at the edge of the table for a refill, but she never even stopped as she dropped off the hash browns. I proceeded to drink my wife's water as she drinks very little with her meal. We ate our meal and I saved the hash browns to take home. The wife said she'll fry them up for my breakfast the next day. She also decided to take her undercooked fries home to reheat and finish cooking in the air fryer at home. Ok, it was a terrible experience. Could it get any worse? As we sat waiting for our bill, the waitress again flew by the table and dropped a small plate off on her way by. It was our cold, oily, garlic toast! We'd forgotten all about it ... and evidently the waitress had also. It was so cold, we assumed it had been sitting at the pick-up win
Always a delight to have a late night birthday breakfast
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cozy place to get a quiet breakfast.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Really enjoyed everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Zesty Nachos, Sausage, Salad, Scrambled Eggs, Super Slam, Hash Browns
Really exceptional experience at Denny's today. Our server Jordan was great, we were seated right away and he was super attentive, didn't have to wait for anything. Our order was exactly as we asked for it and cooked perfectly. Thanks everyone for a very pleasant experience.Kid-friendliness: High chairs and changing stations, kid menus, crayons and activity page
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The waitress was very nice and accommodating. She made sure we had everything we needed and went out of her way to give excellent customer service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Greatest patty melt. My favorite comfort breakfast, carmel banana pancakes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
All the meals are good. It easy to ring up to twenty dollars with coffee and cheese. I will say decent value you are always full. There is cheaper lighter menu options. Good people here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Adetare was a great server, very friendly and efficient.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious, friendly, fast and the best restaurant for a quick affordable meal at any time. Our server Ms. Adetare is the sweetest. She always remembers us and provides the best service. Our children love this Denny's so much. They always request breakfast for dinner.Kid-friendliness: Perfect size meals that kids love. The cups with sippy lids are the best and are reusable
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Strawberry, French Toast
Restaurantji Recommends
It's always warm and everytime I ask for additional stuff it's always in bag. This is my second time ordering from them and have yet to have a problem.
This experience was super! Great service, clean restaurant, and fresh food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hash Browns
The food was good, the price was decent however the atmosphere was one of ," I don't have any help so don't expect me to care about your needs. There were only 5 families there, one cook one server. After we waited 45 minutes for our grand slam breakfast, she said they had to make the to go orders first, and our order should be up soon. If we needed to leave before it was finished, we were free to go.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Zesty Nachos, Cobb Salad
I love it!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Great meal and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5