ON THE ROAD: Denny’s Responds to Consumer Demand for Real Food

​MCLEAN, Va. July 12, 2016; USA Today reports that Denny’s, home of the $4 all-you-can-eat pancakes, has changed how it’s making its signature menu item by adding real ingredients to the mix.

“Denny's hopes customers will flip for its new flapjacks, becoming the latest chain to embrace customer demand for better-tasting food made fresh with real ingredients,” reports the news source, noting that this week the chain is replacing its just-add-water powdered mix with flour, fresh buttermilk, a hint of vanilla and fresh eggs. The new recipe also makes the pancakes 50% fluffier.

USA Today adds that Denny’s is looking to gain an edge among a sea of competitors all vying for the all-day breakfast space, noting that breakfast accounts for 24% of daily average sales at Denny’s, second to the lunch daypart at 35%.

The recipe change for Denny’s pancakes took three years to complete, with an added cost of $5 million for the new ingredients. The news source notes that part of the push for change came from diners saying they weren’t coming to a Denny’s restaurant because they had a hankering for pancakes.

"Good isn't good enough anymore for the average American," Sharon Lykins, senior director of product innovation for Denny's, told USA Today. "The customers liked [the pancakes] fine. But there wasn't anything special about them that said, 'I've gotta go to Denny's to have pancakes.'"