Denny's - Fort Bragg and Woodland Hills

Denny’s
901 N Main St Ft Bragg, CA 95437
and
Denny’s
20137 Ventura Blvd,Woodland Hills, CA 91364

August 2010

Traveling always makes you thirsty and hungry my son and I are no exception. After driving for several hours through a narrow, steep canyon on a winding, narrow two-lane roads we finally arrived at Ft. Bragg. Cresting a small hill, the first sight was a Denny’s Restaurant. I will be honest with you. I do not eat at the Denny’s in my home town. It is disgusting. I was not enthused about eating at this one either. But driven by hunger and thirst, and with an open mind we stopped and ventured inside. I was impressed. For being a coastal building it’s outside was remarkably clean and it’s interior was spotless. It was comfortably air conditioned and the tables and booths were clean and in good repair.

We were quickly seated by friendly staff, had piping hot coffee within a minute and quickly began to peruse the menu with anticipation. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all. The menu is like that of all the other Denny’s throughout the nation so I won’t bother you with this and that’s about its offerings. Our order arrived quickly. There were generous portions and was served hot. The food was cooked well and presented nicely and looked like the menu pictures.

I was impressed, first it was clean, the staff friendly, the food was good and fresh and finally it was an okay Denny’s. Perhaps another try later, elsewhere; that was soon to be the case.

Our hotel in Encino was adjacent to yet another Denny’s. This one was a tad bit smaller but nonetheless Denny’s. Traveling is an adventure and I guess so should dining out be adventurous as well. That considered, we decided to have breakfast at the Encino Denny’s.

This one is located on Ventura Blvd. in Woodland Hills, California. It is located just across the street from Taft High School. Its exterior is lush with plants, brick work and the facade of Spanish architecture. The inside was clean and air conditioned without any type of lingering smells. The staff members were all quite friendly although not quite as friendly as at Ft. Bragg. We were seated quickly and had coffee, water and orange juice in a matter of moments.

Breakfast was fast, hot and cooked well, and our waiter was prompt and came back several times to check on us. Perhaps my faith is restored somewhat with this chain, will I try my home town Denny’s? Perhaps, perhaps not. I will have to wait and see how adventurous I feel at the time. I guess it comes down to the owners of each franchise. If you watch that curious reality show, Restaurant Impossible, it does not matter where something is located. What matters is how it is ran and the attitudes of the owners and staff.