An updated post for you all – and still about Denny's! A friend and I on Tuesday went into our local Denny's to order $2 coffees and enjoy our free Grand Slams. The promo, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day, was advertised during the Super Bowl, on Facebook and on the restaurant chain's website.

In all honesty, I never go out of my way to eat pork or refined sugars, so I could take or leave the signature offering, which retails for $5.99.
Then again, I don't have a job and it's a free meal! Woulda made a great cheapo date for a down-on-their-luck couple.

What I really wanted to see was what kind of turnout there would be. Is the economy so bad that people will go out of their way on a Tuesday for bacon and pancakes? (You could probably make the whole thing at home for a couple dollars – including the coffee!)

We arrived at 11:30 a.m. and joined the line out the door. After 30 minutes, we were seated. The staff was efficient, but friendly.

I don't think I'm more likely to eat at Denny's as a result of this meal, but I applaud the company for doing something that will be read as an act of solidarity with struggling Americans. (Even if the assessment is true that they did it for publicity and possibly still made money on the increased volume of coffees and orange juice orders.)

One thing is for certain, it was quite the place to be in Burien, Wash. All kinds of work-a-day people interacting and rubbing elbows.

(This photo was taken by my friend on her Blackberry.)