Denny’s

My girlfriend moved to Ann Arbor 40 years ago and this year we are going to visit all the bars and restaurants who have been in the Ann Arbor/​Ypsi area since then.
We decided not to include chains like McDonalds etc. but Denny’s has been a staple on Ann Arbor’s east side since 1972. It’s where to go after the bars close and you need to get something to carry you home. We didn’t go late at night but on a Saturday afternoon. We were surprised by the extensive options on the menu. My friend had the new skillet with chicken sausage and a mess of veggies and avocado. I had the skillet with chorizo, jalapeños, and potatoes. We were pleasantly surprised with both. It took a while to be recognized when we came in but after Pam found us she was very attentive. The coffee (dark roast) was excellent. This is a place where you can come and be pretty sure what you are going to get. We were pleasantly surprised after a long absence. We might even come back.

Friendly employees, food is lackluster and really losing the value /​flavor combo. The $ 3,$ 5,$ 6 menu is a joke now. I got an avocado salad for $ 9 it was a handful of wet lettuce with half an avocado and a small chicken breast. I miss the $ 2 Tortilla pizza and the $ 5 BBQ pulled chicken sandwich. It’s really hard to find any value meals that look good.

The best part about this place is the staff. They really seem to be nice and polite and the rest of the place I could forgive, maybe if it wasn’t everything else that I didn’t like. So lets begin. The food is, well it’s Denny’s which is not high quality. I tried to get something sort of healthy, but that’s not even very easy there. There doesn’t seem to be any fresh veggies to choose from (you can tell the ones they do have were frozen and seem wilted). Additionally if the food wasn’t bad enough there is this weird sensation of fifth that permeates the entire place like a layer of grease and dirt. I felt like I couldn’t touch anything, not the table, the seats, the floor, the silverware.
So it’s very cheap and accessible and has a nice staff, but I wouldn’t go there unless desperate.

Wow, what a change. Previously, found this location to be slow service.. very slow. Today, great service, great food. Surprised. We will be back after a UM game. M Go Blue.

Service was amazing and food was pretty good! It was a busy Sunday morning, but our waitress was still very nice and service was quick! We asked to substitute some items in the omelette and we got exactly what we asked for. Will definitely be back!

Denny’s is Denny’s in terms of the food. Right? What makes the real difference in a visit is the quality of the service. We were not disappointed in this way today. Cassandra S., our server provided great service even in the face of a very busy brunch period.
While our visit was motivated by the freebie birthday grand slam… Something that matters when you have a sizable family of 5 hearty eaters… We still look for the proverbial pearl and expect a good experience.
Dennys: I forgive you for running out of my grits… Only because the service from Cassandra made up for it!

Stopped by for a late dinner where there were two older people spreading mulch, which was not very appetizing. Our waitress was very nice but very inattentive. There were only 2 other tables in the entire place and she spent most of the time loudly chatting with the bald waiter. The food portions have been cut back a lot since the last time we were here. Will not be coming back for a long time. Hopefully they can shape up and get to at least a normal Denny’s level of service.

Stopped in for a quick breakfast. Price and food were fine. Service was abysmal. It appeared that they were severely understaffed, with which I can empathize. However, there is no excuse for Pamela’s demeanor. She showed no personality whatsoever– no pleasantries or friendly greeting at all. As a result her tip was commensurate with her personality-​zero.
I hate stiffing servers but I could not justify leaving her a dime. On a bright note, the cashier was extremely backed up but the young lady was very pleasant. If I had thought of it, I would’ve left her Pam’s tip and gotten her name so I could specifically compliment her.

this place has the worst service! I was there 10 minutes without a waitress coming to even ask for our drinks. walked out and NOT coming back!

No seriously… don’t ever go here! I have been to plenty of Denny’s and generally I like the food. This location is the worst one I have ever been to. The food was under cooked, the service was slow, and everyone who works here is pretty unfriendly. If you don’t like where you work or what you do, do something about it and go somewhere else. Don’t take it out on people who are simply paying to have what should be a good decent meal.

I really love this Dennys. The waiters and waitresses are all very polite. There have been times when the waiter to customer ratio was very small– but they were always working so hard to stay on top of things, and I really admired that. Will always be a customer here.

Service was solid! It took longer than expected and they gave me creamer containers that I needed extra precaution to deal with, but all in all the food was good! It wasn’t ready when I arrived but the food was very delicious! This was my first time here in like 15 years… I ordered the country fried steak and eggs plate for breakfast.

Sure it was Denny’s, but I really don’t have much to complain about.
When you have a large family, this is the place to go. Large breakfasts for the kids for cheap. The coffee was good and I enjoyed my Hearty Platter. Great sausage, good toast, and a nice cheesy, gooey potato and vegetable mix on a hot platter.
I was able to leave here feeding seven of us and didn’t break the bank.

We were there for 40 minutes. It was not busy. I had to call the restaurant on my cell phone to get someone to come out and bring me a coffee refill. the waiter was rude. it was not busy, but the staff were all in the back fror most of the time we were there. we left — we never saw our food.

I will never ever eat here again! Worst first experience ever, I had bugs in my menu, floaties in my drink (2 of us) and hair in my food I’m beyond disgusted with this place!

Review update — I figured out the major problem with this place. It is the Manager, Camille. What an ignorant person to be running a restaurant. If she is on duty, do yourself a favor and just walk out. I had a problem that required her assistance — she kept the family, including 2 kids waiting 20 minutes while she was in the office. While I was trying to discuss the problem with her, she didn’t want to hear it and wouldn’t make eye contact, but just kept doing something else while I tried to talk to her. She didn’t seem interested. Did I mention we waited 20 minutes for her for this? No apologies for keeping us waiting.
It is a real shame that we will not be going back to this place because I really like Gwen (the other GREAT MANAGER), Alex, John and Theresa. The cook Mario is also very good.
When the manager doesn’t care and the servers are just wonderful there is a real problem. Franchise owners need this lady brought to their attention.

I have never had a worst experience with service. They all stare at you like they have no clue what is going on. Called in a take out order. They said 10 min. I got there at exactly 10 (work across the street) waited 30 extra. I’d rather go to a Coney Island.

Denny’s in general tend to be run down, grubby + famous for cranky staff. This one used to be like that. I haven’t been to Denny’s on Washtenaw since cira 2005. Yeah, this place left that strong of an impression. But let’s not dwell on the past.
Today I returned to Denny’s on Washtenaw. I really wanted hash browns + they were in the right place at the right time. The staff was friendly + attentive — no empty glasses, no waiting forever to place my order, the food came to the table in a reasonable amount of time. The restaurant was clean, the food was the best I’ve ever had at a Denny’s, and they got my mildly unusual order right without batting an eye or making a big deal about it. It was a great experience for anywhere I’ll be back :)

I’m waffling between 2 & 3 stars because while I do always enjoy myself here (mostly because it’s in good company, but the waitstaff is always friendly), the kitchen has messed up my order on several occasions. On my most recent visit, I ordered the Fit Fare Omelette and received the Fit Slam (but was charged for the more expensive Fit Fare Omelette). So pay attention to what you’re getting…
I do like that there are different coffee options now.

Open 24 hours. Decent late food after a night out.
Try the tilapia.