This year, the wait in line for a free, hot breakfast may have been shorter than last year, but it was a whole lot more miserable in the early morning chill for University of Colorado Denver friends Diane Amaya, Mariana Fernandez and Wendy Salazar.
The discomfort was short-lived and worth it, the trio said as they stood outside a Denny’s restaurant at South Santa Fe Drive and West Alameda Avenue for the free “Grand Slam” breakfast offer.
“It’s becoming a tradition for us,” Amaya said. “We like free food, and we’re always hungry.”
This is the second year Denny’s offered the promotion.
Last year, about 2 million free meals were served across the country. About 1,200 were dished up at the South Santa Fe Drive store, said Chad Collins, a Denny’s company business leader, who arrived at the restaurant at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday to ensure there was an ample supply of food and staff to handle the long line of people.
This year, the crowds were smaller, probably due to the cold weather. Customer waits averaged about 20 minutes Tuesday, compared with up to two hours in 2009.
“This year, we’re better organized, and last year, we had a problem with supplies,” said Cassandra Barron, a Denny’s general manager.
Eight cooks, 10 servers and four hosts kept the free breakfasts — which consisted of two eggs, two pancakes, two sausage links and two slices of bacon — coming as people formed a line at 5:30 a.m. outside the 24-hour restaurant.
By noon, more than 700 hot breakfasts had been served.
For RJ Pettet of Denver, who lost his job four months ago, the free meal was a momentary distraction from his tough hunt for work.
“It’s wonderful,” Pettet said. “There is a sense of community spirit here that’s not found very often.”
