Morning meetings can be a drag, but now they could be improved with an infusion of Denny’s Grand Slam meals through a new catering program.
Denny’s, a longtime American breakfast favorite that started selling its Grand Slam meal in the 1970s, announced its new national catering program powered by ezCater this week. It explained that ezCater is “the leading food tech platform for workplaces in the U.S.”
So, Denny’s meals could now be popping up at offices, boardrooms, schools, healthcare organizations, community gatherings, celebrations and more.
With this new partnership, Denny’s Catering allows participating restaurants access to meet workplace demand and creates “a new sales channel for franchisees,” Denny’s explained in a press release. More than 400 of its locations nationwide are now available for the corporate catering program through ezCater, and hundreds more are expected to join in the coming weeks.
“Guests will also be able to place catering orders directly through Dennys.com, giving franchisees another avenue to reach customers and grow repeat business,” the company said.
The news comes after Denny’s announcement last year that it would close dozens of locations as part of its plan to “enhance the health” of its brand. Specifically, the new catering partnership is “the first major initiative to advance from strategy into national implementation under Project Grand Slam, Denny’s enterprise growth roadmap focused on strengthening restaurant performance, enhancing the Guest experience and creating sustainable long-term growth across the system,” said the company.
“This is more than a new way to order Denny’s; we’re opening a meaningful new growth channel for the Brand and our franchisees,” said Chris Bode, Denny’s president and chief executive officer, of the ezCater announcement. “With participating restaurants coming online nationwide, we have an opportunity to bring Denny’s breakfast leadership and comfort food to more customers, more occasions and more communities. Our focus now is on disciplined execution and building catering into a lasting part of our restaurant growth strategy.”
Denny’s reputation as a breakfast destination makes it fit well in the workplace dining category, where breakfast “remains one of the strongest categories,” according to the company. Cindy Klein Roche, chief growth officer at ezCater expects it to be a sure favorite, since breakfast is the most used search filter on the platform.
Breakfast isn’t the only thing the chain of diners offers, though. There’s also burgers and chicken wings for lunch and dinner, packaged meals and more. These will be “delivered in specialized packaging designed to lock in heat, quality, and presentation from kitchen to breakroom,” the company said.
Garren Grieve, chief executive officer of Seaside Dining Group, a multi-unit Denny’s franchisee, said the catering move has the potential to help grow business and bring in new customers.
“It gives our restaurants access to new customers, valuable weekday occasions and recurring business beyond our dining rooms,” he explained. “We have experienced firsthand the strength of what Denny’s has built, and the early response exceeded our expectations. The opportunity is real.”
