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Feeding people's bodies, minds and souls
Denny's is America's Diner, a place shaped by a simple philosophy: We Love to Feed
People™. This is our purpose, what drives us, and it serves as the resounding rallying cry
throughout the Denny's organization—from team members in-restaurant to those working in our corporate
office. Denny's isn't just a place to feed people's appetites—we feed our guests' lives by
providing a place to share great conversations, a chance to get together with family and friends, and a place
that feeds the body and spirit of anyone who comes through our front doors.
Feeding People's Bodies, Minds and Souls is what we do by looking at five major areas: Family and
Community, Food, Diversity, Our People and the Environment.
Denny's is more than just a restaurant: it's a home away from home where we treat everyone like family. We are at the center of communities, giving back to local and national organizations that impact children and families. This includes partnerships with No Kid Hungry and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and our Mobile Relief Diner that serves warm meals and caring smiles to those in need.
No Kid Hungry®
We love to feed people, so it is hard for Denny's team members to imagine kids not getting enough
food to eat each day. To truly make an impact, Denny's partnered with Share Our Strength's
No Kid Hungry program to make ending childhood hunger one of our main philanthropic causes. Today, one
of four children face going hungry due to the Coronavirus. Every September, Denny's locations
across America participate in Share Our Strength's Dine Out For No Kid Hungry®, a
national fundraising event that brings together thousands of restaurants and millions of diners to
help make sure that no child in America grows up hungry. Since 2011, Denny's has helped connect
hungry children with over 90 million meals.
90
Million
meals provided to hungry children
Mobile Relief Diner
Denny's is committed to feeding people during times of need. The Mobile Relief Diner is a 53-foot mobile kitchen that allows us to quickly travel to feed those suffering in the wake of national disasters and emergencies as well as others who might need a helping hand.
With each deployment, the Denny's Mobile Relief Diner visits local communities in need to offer a free, freshly cooked pancake breakfast with bacon, coffee and water to local residents, first responders and others. It's our way of offering a small piece of comfort when communities need it most. In the last three years, the Denny's Mobile Relief Diner has served nearly 40,000 meals to those in need.
In 2020/2021, we broadened our use of the Mobile Relief Diner to serve free, hot meals to U.S. veterans, who have been inordinately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we've taken the MRD on the road to serve front line workers throughout LA county.
To learn more and stay updated on the current location of the Mobile Relief Diner, follow us on
Twitter (@DennysMRD).
40
Thousand
fed through the Mobile Relief Diner
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®
Denny's is proud to announce its new national partnership with St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital to raise awareness and provide financial support toward cures for childhood cancers and
sickle cell disease. Denny's is making a donation with every kid's entrée purchased from the
new Kids Menu, which features original artwork by current St. Jude patients. Through our partnership
with St. Jude, Denny's is committed to raising more than $1 million for much-needed childhood
cancer research.
Denny's and its franchisees support numerous charities in their local markets to improve the
health and well-being of the communities we serve. At its corporate headquarters in Spartanburg, SC,
Denny's has donated more than $1.7 million over the past eight years to the United Way of the
Upstate.
Corporate employees also volunteer and have helped fund the construction of 10 Habitat for Humanity
homes since 2008.
Denny's franchisees are empowered to make a positive difference in their own communities. Our
franchisees have partnered with numerous schools, religious and youth-related organizations to donate
their team's time, food and funds for organizations, including Cookies for Kids Cancer, Susan G.
Komen Race for the Cure, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lost in the Line of Duty, Ella's Tea Party and
the San Antonio Fiesta Medal Festival.
$1.7
Million
donated to our local United Way chapter
Food
Denny's loves to feed people! Our guests can feel great about the food we serve in our
restaurants, deliver to their homes, or provide through convenient curbside pick-up. We are committed to
serving quality food, without sacrificing flair or value, sourcing as much beef, pork, chicken and eggs
as possible from suppliers that follow our humane animal welfare practices. We ensure our food and
ingredients are safe and pay attention to any food concerns that matter most to our guests.
COVID-19 Response
As America's Diner, we love to feed all people during good times and bad. To ensure we can
continue feeding America, we've taken steps in support of our teams and guests. From bolstering
our sanitation and social distancing protocols to transitioning to free contactless delivery and pick
up services, we are diligently working to safeguard our employees, guests and communities.
While our strong routine food safety and cleaning standards have always met or surpassed all
guidelines, our sanitation procedures have been enhanced to include:
Masks worn by team members
Removal of multi-touch items from the tables
Daily temperature checks of all employees
Social distancing throughout the restaurant
A trained Sanitation Specialist who cleans every chair, table, highchair, menu and condiment
container after every guest
Disposable menus available upon request
Washing of team members' hands every 20 minutes with soap and water followed by alcohol-based
hand sanitizer
Denny's has been committed to quality food and a true diner experience for more than 60 years.
We source beef, pork, chicken and eggs from suppliers that follow our humane animal welfare policies,
as well as source sustainable products like our wild-caught Alaska Salmon. As an industry leader,
Denny's eliminated all food dyes from its menu items in response to medical research linking
yellow, red and blue dyes to ADHD in children.
While we still have areas to improve, animal welfare remains an important part of our brand's
sourcing strategy and we are proud to support the following initiatives:
Cage-free eggs
In 2016, Denny's proudly announced its pledge to source and serve 100 percent cage-free eggs in
all U.S. restaurants by 2026. We've been committed to quality food and a true diner experience
for over 60 years and this is just another way of honoring that commitment.
Cattle
We continue to emphasize our purchase preference with suppliers who use polled breeding stock versus
the practice of dehorning cattle.
Hogs
Since 2012, our goal has been to source our pork from suppliers that do not use gestation crates for
the housing of sows.
Turkeys
Since 2011, we have been using suppliers that practice the most humane slaughter method (CAK) and
have proudly received recognition from PETA for our commitment.
Broiler chickens
Denny's understands the issues surrounding the welfare of broilers in the supply chain and
stands in support of the humane treatment of animals. Denny's has been a longtime proponent of
humane stunning methodologies for all agricultural animals, including but not limited to chickens. In
addition, Denny's goal is to accomplish the following for our supply chain by 2024:
Reduce stocking density to a maximum of 6 lbs./sq. foot and prohibit broiler cages.
Provide birds enriched environments, including litter, lighting, and enrichment that meets GAP's
new standards.
Process chickens in a manner that avoids pre-stun handling and instead utilizes a multi-step,
controlled atmosphere processing system that induces an irreversible stun.
Demonstrate compliance with the above standards via third party auditing.
And by 2026:
Transition to strains of birds that demonstrate higher welfare outcomes that meet the criteria of
the RSPCA Broiler Breed Welfare Assessment Protocol or Global Animal Partnership (GAP).
Sustainable supply chain
At Denny's, we work with supply chain partners as invested as we are in reducing their
environmental impact. Smithfield Foods, Inc., our pork products supplier, is capturing methane from
hog farms (pig waste) and converting it into clean, renewable energy that can be used to heat homes,
power businesses and fuel vehicles, such as their trucks.
Our vendor procurement program is rigorous with vendors having to meet or exceed all food safety
standards. At Denny's, one of our top priorities is working in partnership with our suppliers to
promote the best responsible sourcing.
Diversity, Equality & Inclusion
We have a culture that embraces openness for all people, ideas and perspectives. Denny's
commitment to diversity starts at the highest levels with our board and franchisees and is carried
through our team of cooks, servers, hosts, managers and suppliers. At Denny's, our commitment to
diversity does not end here: we are invested in young people and in creating education and scholarship
opportunities for diverse and disadvantaged students.
By the numbers
We strive for our Denny's team to be as diverse and inclusive as the guests we serve every day.
of our Denny's restaurants are owned by members of the LGBTQ
community
44%
of our Denny's Board of Directors are people of color
33%
of our Denny's Board of Directors are women
CEO action for diversity and inclusion
This initiative is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in
the workplace. With more than 750 CEOs from the world's leading companies committed to advancing
diversity, equality and inclusion within the workplace, the CEO-led action will help continue to
cultivate more inclusive workplaces and drive meaningful change. Denny's CEO, John Miller,
pledged his support of the initiative in July 2017, ensuring the brand's diversity and inclusion
efforts are an ongoing focus throughout the organization.
Alliance for inclusive and multicultural marketing (AIMM)
AIMM's mission is to reverse the downward trend of multicultural and inclusive marketing by empowering the industry to accurately portray cultural diversity and richness in today's marketing efforts. In October 2020, Denny's Chief Brand Officer John Dillon was appointed as Co-Chair of the organization after years of active membership. In his role, John champions diversity and representation in advertising and marketing, driving adoption of AIMM's standards across the industry and within Denny's.
Zero-Discrimination Policy
Discrimination based on protected status is illegal and it goes against everything Denny's
stands for. That means we don't discriminate against team members, guests, applicants or business
partners based on characteristics like color, sex, pregnancy status, gender, religion or religious
creed, age, medical condition or disability, sexual orientation or any other characteristics protected
by applicable laws.
Holding ourselves accountable
We hold ourselves accountable to embodying diversity across the organization. Starting in 2021, all open positions, including those resulting from turnover, retirements or promotions, have a target of 50% minority staffing for manager level positions and below and 40% for director level positions and above.
Supplier Diversity
Since 1993, Denny's has spent more than $2 billion with diverse and disadvantaged businesses.
For the last ten years, at least 10% of our supplier contracts (in dollar terms) have gone to diverse
and disadvantaged suppliers. Denny's continues to identify diverse and disadvantaged businesses
through organizational partners and community outreach.
Denny's has a long history of impacting the communities we serve by giving back, supporting and
participating in efforts that celebrate, promote and embrace the cultural diversity of our employees
and guests. Launched in 2011, the Hungry for Education Scholarship program has awarded almost 500
scholarships worth more than $1 million to deserving elementary, high school and college students
across the country. The annual program asks students to submit essays on how they can help fight
childhood hunger in their communities. One deserving student is selected by Denny's to have his
or her idea put into action in their community. Denny's identified strategic partners to help
award scholarships and to impact the lives of the high-need students across the country.
Denny's aims to be a leader in multicultural innovation. Our holistic, 360-degree strategic plan
includes the sponsorship of cultural events—from music to film to television to awards shows
—celebrating the full, multicultural tapestry of American life and arts like the Tom Joyner
Fantastic Voyage and BETX Live!
Education, Awareness & Insight
Denny's employees annually participate in various cultural celebrations for the purpose of
functional team building, organizational partnership and community engagement.
Black History Month
Women's History Month
LGBTQ+ Education and Awareness
Hispanic Heritage Month
Disabilities Awareness Month
Veterans' Day Celebration
Our People
Denny's franchisees and team members are at the heart and soul of what we do. We invest in their
growth and future, giving them opportunities to reach their full potential. Denny's Breakthrough
Leadership program guides our team members to enhance their leadership and people management skills,
financial acumen, guest service, inventory management, food preparation and safety skills—all as vitally
needed in the restaurant industry as in their daily lives.
Breakthrough Leadership
At Denny's, we invest in pathways to opportunity through employment, education and training. Our
Breakthrough Leadership Training and Development program provides Denny's team members with
exclusive access to numerous creative and interactive employee engagement curricula, leadership
workshops, simulations, games and mobile learning and educational training videos. This unique program
helps develop a wide range of skills, including leadership and people management, financial acumen,
guest service, inventory management, food preparation and food safety—skills that help workers
successfully operate in the restaurant industry.
Denny's also invests in diversity, equality and inclusion training for our team members and
hosts numerous unconscious bias workshops throughout the year.
Tuition Reimbursement Program
Denny's team members are eligible for tuition and education reimbursement. We reimburse 70% of
eligible expenses, up to $2,000 per calendar year per eligible employee.
70%
of eligible expenses, up to $2,000 per calendar year
Power Fund
Since 2005, Denny's POWER Fund has helped more than 550 employees and their families, with
donations totaling over $750,000. Supported through individual and corporate donations, the POWER Fund
is primarily funded through Denny's corporate and franchise employees.
DEI Council
Recently launched, this Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Council will collaborate on
initiatives designed to renew our workplace and create business results that will increase and
strengthen our brand reputation, guest satisfaction and market share. The council consists of 10
cross-functional members representing various positions throughout the Denny's organization, who
serve as ambassadors, bridge builders, data collectors, educators, accountability partners and
champions of DEI within the Denny's brand.
Business Resource Leadership Groups
Business Resource leadership groups were established for Denny's corporate employees to provide
encouragement and an enhanced sense of belonging through informal mentoring, professional and
community events and access to personal and professional development and growth opportunities.
Additionally, they help foster a more inclusive work environment, improve communication and trust
among employees and enhance understanding of all employees about the value of diversity. In 2021, we aim to support an inclusive culture by engaging at least 20% of our team members in at least one of our seven business resource leadership groups.
OUR COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS
Denny's is committed to human rights for all people, and we have a human rights policy in place, including executive sponsorship and an employee training program. In addition, we require our suppliers' to certify that they do not use human trafficking or slavery in the course of doing business.
Environment
Denny's believes in protecting the environment, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing waste and conserving water resources. That's why we've instituted policies and practices aimed at reducing our environmental impact at the corporate level, the restaurant level and everywhere in between. We have reduced our carbon footprint by investing in ENERGY STAR certified equipment and energy-efficient LED lighting. We conserve water resources by using low-flow plumbing fixtures and water-efficient dipper wells in our kitchens. Our efforts to reduce waste include sustainable packaging and eliminating the use of Styrofoam food containers.
Energy Conservation
Lighting
As part of the Heritage Remodel Program, 100% of Denny's corporate restaurants and new greenfield locations are retrofitted with LED fixtures, inside our dining areas and kitchens and outside, which are up to 80% more efficient than fluorescent bulbs and Metal Halide lamps. We reduced our light power consumption by more than 68% at our Spartanburg headquarters when we retrofitted to LED. These LED lighting changes have yielded an estimated 9% average reduction in electricity usage at company-operated restaurants, or approximately 37,000 kWh per restaurant annually, and an estimated 12% reduction in electricity usage at the corporate office, or approximately 550,000 kWh annually. We also install automatic light dimming systems in new restaurants.
12%
reduction in electricity usage at the corporate office, or
approximately 550,000 kWh annually
Natural Gas
Denny's company-operated restaurants started measuring natural gas usage in 2017. On
average, these properties have lowered the amount of dekatherms year over year. We used an
estimated 1,700 dekatherms of natural gas and 337,000 kWh from non-renewable sources. Our
corporate office used an estimated 320 dekatherms of natural gas and 4.1 million kWh of
electricity from non-renewable sources solely from the power grid.
Wastewater
In our restaurants, we have implemented a program that allows restaurants to safely shut off costly cook's line “dipper wells” without compromising food safety standards. By shutting off this constant water flow and moving to FMP Server ConserveWell Dipper-wells, which are up to 98% more efficient than standard units, Denny's saves 250K gallons of water per restaurant each year that leads to both less energy use and less wastewater processing.
Additional Energy Saving Best Practices
At Denny's, we are constantly investigating new initiatives that can help reduce our environmental impact even further. We are always evaluating new solutions, including renewable energy sources, biodegradable packaging, efficient waste management and more.
Other energy-saving steps we've taken include:
Turning off egg burners when not in use - saves on gas and reduces unnecessary heat
Use of photoelectric sensors on parking lot lights for more efficient use of lighting
Use of window tinting to decrease heat impact of sunlight and reduce HVAC use
Installation of high-efficiency HVAC equipment during new construction, which are up to 40% more efficient than standard units, and to replace older equipment as appropriate
Use of water efficient and alternative landscaping, such as zero-scape and synthetic turf
Use of waterless hot food wells to save on water and energy use
Replacing standard urinals with waterless models where appropriate
Waste management
Packaging
Denny's has replaced all Styrofoam food packaging with Talc-Filled Polypropylene (TFPP)
packaging. Denny's is also currently eliminating the use of Styrofoam cups. The company
headquarters estimates it saves about 13 miles worth of cups a year (approximately 9.5K cups).
Recycling
At our home office, we encourage recycling by having dedicated recycling bins on every floor and
dedicated organic and non-organic bins in our test kitchen, while many of our restaurant locations
embrace their locally available recycling programs. Our corporate office location works with a
regional contractor, Atlas Organics, who recovers approximately 1400 lbs. of organic material each
month, while working with ReWorks Recycling to pick up our plastics, aluminum, paper and cardboard
waste. Nationally, many of Denny's franchises partner with RiverRoad Waste Solutions who
provide waste and recycling services that match the requirements of local municipalities.
Additionally, RiverRoad currently assists with cooking oil disposal for several locations.
Our locations do not generate hazardous waste streams. Of our non-hazardous waste, approximately
13.75% by weight is diverted to recycling, with the remainder going to landfills. For a small amount
of our locations, RiverRoad also hauls non-hazardous waste to WTE (Waste to Energy) facilities in
municipalities where available, reducing additional landfill waste.
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