Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Close to Home — What it’s like on the street where you live
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
Dropping by Denny's for coffee and a celebration
A new meaning for the concept of "the third place."
The Denny’s on El Cajon Boulevard has an unfortunate location. Not because a car plowed through its window and into its dining room— that would be the Denny’s on University Avenue in City Heights. Not because it didn’t do enough business to survive the chain’s 180-location shutdown over the past two years — that would be the Denny’s on West Main in El Cajon.
No, the trouble with this particular location of America’s Diner® is that it happens to be sandwiched between two of San Diego’s most appealing and distinctive diners, both right on the same street.
To the east, there’s Rudford’s: on the Boulevard since 1949, with its beautiful old sign and bright blue paint, its oval windows and tempting dessert display, and its equally boundless open hours. Rudford’s is also a stand-alone mom and pop place; if it’s a touch more expensive then Denny’s, well, we should all be willing to pay a few dollars more for that. And Rudford’s also boasts the Big Nick burger challenge: eat the two pounds of ground beef, four eggs, hash browns, buns, cheese, gravy, and salsa, along with the fries in less than 30 minutes, and it’s free. Or just have some Jell-O in a tulip parfait glass, crowned with whipped cream and look at the picture of JFK on the wall. So much America.
To the west, there’s the Lafayette Hotel’s Beginner’s Diner: a stylish, ultra-retro space that is also open 24 hours. Its menu bears what amounts to an artist’s statement, informing you that Beginner’s is a simulacrum of a diner, but in a creative and intentional way. It’s got character, it feels perennially lively inside, and it features food that is actually really good, instead of just there.
And being just there is probably Denny’s main claim to fame. “The thing about it is that it’s open,” said my friend. “Back in high school, I used to sneak out of my house around 2 am to meet up with this guy two grades ahead of me after he was done partying. I think I amused him; I thought he was just the coolest. We’d go to Denny’s — always open! — and get coffee and talk philosophy with high-school earnestness. So I have fond memories of Denny’s, because it provided the setting. That’s why I’m tickled to hear about the idea of a remodel. I wonder if people will notice.”
July 12 saw the Grand Reopening of the El Cajon Boulevard Denny’s, following a six-day renovation. I’m not sure what exactly was renovated, but I guess there were some new finishes inside. This particular Denny’s has been in the same spot since 1962. The reopening involved plenty of raffles, whose winners could take home gift baskets or Denny’s mugs. A DJ played feel-good ‘60s-‘90s pop and rock. There were balloons inside and out, and a man on the sidewalk dressed as a strip of bacon was beckoning pedestrians and drivers towards the diner. The crowds were not of an unusual size, but it did feel a little more festive than usual. Our waiter was a sweet man with a sincere smile and just enough English to get the job done. My children were defeated by the claw machine game, did shots of International Delight creamer, and ordered pancakes in varieties that would send an adult into a diabetic coma.
Bacon Man! Great superhero, or the greatest superhero?
My coffee was mellow and good enough. Near us sat the couple who won the mug I gently coveted, another couple in Pride gear still adjusting to the morning at 11:30, and families speaking Spanish and English. Renovation or no renovation, Rudford’s or no Rudford’s, retro or no retro, Denny’s is there.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Dropping by Denny's for coffee and a celebration
A new meaning for the concept of "the third place."
Dropping by Denny's for coffee and a celebration
A new meaning for the concept of "the third place."
The Denny’s on El Cajon Boulevard has an unfortunate location. Not because a car plowed through its window and into its dining room— that would be the Denny’s on University Avenue in City Heights. Not because it didn’t do enough business to survive the chain’s 180-location shutdown over the past two years — that would be the Denny’s on West Main in El Cajon.
No, the trouble with this particular location of America’s Diner® is that it happens to be sandwiched between two of San Diego’s most appealing and distinctive diners, both right on the same street.
To the east, there’s Rudford’s: on the Boulevard since 1949, with its beautiful old sign and bright blue paint, its oval windows and tempting dessert display, and its equally boundless open hours. Rudford’s is also a stand-alone mom and pop place; if it’s a touch more expensive then Denny’s, well, we should all be willing to pay a few dollars more for that. And Rudford’s also boasts the Big Nick burger challenge: eat the two pounds of ground beef, four eggs, hash browns, buns, cheese, gravy, and salsa, along with the fries in less than 30 minutes, and it’s free. Or just have some Jell-O in a tulip parfait glass, crowned with whipped cream and look at the picture of JFK on the wall. So much America.
To the west, there’s the Lafayette Hotel’s Beginner’s Diner: a stylish, ultra-retro space that is also open 24 hours. Its menu bears what amounts to an artist’s statement, informing you that Beginner’s is a simulacrum of a diner, but in a creative and intentional way. It’s got character, it feels perennially lively inside, and it features food that is actually really good, instead of just there.
And being just there is probably Denny’s main claim to fame. “The thing about it is that it’s open,” said my friend. “Back in high school, I used to sneak out of my house around 2 am to meet up with this guy two grades ahead of me after he was done partying. I think I amused him; I thought he was just the coolest. We’d go to Denny’s — always open! — and get coffee and talk philosophy with high-school earnestness. So I have fond memories of Denny’s, because it provided the setting. That’s why I’m tickled to hear about the idea of a remodel. I wonder if people will notice.”
July 12 saw the Grand Reopening of the El Cajon Boulevard Denny’s, following a six-day renovation. I’m not sure what exactly was renovated, but I guess there were some new finishes inside. This particular Denny’s has been in the same spot since 1962. The reopening involved plenty of raffles, whose winners could take home gift baskets or Denny’s mugs. A DJ played feel-good ‘60s-‘90s pop and rock. There were balloons inside and out, and a man on the sidewalk dressed as a strip of bacon was beckoning pedestrians and drivers towards the diner. The crowds were not of an unusual size, but it did feel a little more festive than usual. Our waiter was a sweet man with a sincere smile and just enough English to get the job done. My children were defeated by the claw machine game, did shots of International Delight creamer, and ordered pancakes in varieties that would send an adult into a diabetic coma.
Bacon Man! Great superhero, or the greatest superhero?
My coffee was mellow and good enough. Near us sat the couple who won the mug I gently coveted, another couple in Pride gear still adjusting to the morning at 11:30, and families speaking Spanish and English. Renovation or no renovation, Rudford’s or no Rudford’s, retro or no retro, Denny’s is there.
Comments